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Del-Mar-Race-TrackPhoto: No machine-readable author provided. Intersofia assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Del Mar · FEMA

FEMA puts Del Mar’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Del Mar gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #176 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%), then earthquakes (32%). Flood insurance has paid 109 claims here since 1980.

River and rain flooding 64%Earthquakes 32%Tsunamis 2%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

more than 80%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#176 of 847 in California
Hazard risk
C−#176 of 847
in California · higher than 80% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
64% of expected building damage
Flood claims
109
paid since 1980 · $1.4M
Flooded more than once
17
properties
Disasters paid out here
5
of 30 declared for San Diego County

What stands out about Del Mar’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

109 paid flood claims since 1980$1.4M in all; 17 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 91% of U.S. towns.Remembers 198335 flood claims were paid for 1983 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Del Mar faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

River and rain flooding

64%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

32%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tsunamis top 1% Coastal flooding top 5% Wildfire Tornadoes Hail Hurricanes Strong wind Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Winter stormsIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesVolcanic activity

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Del Mar’s grade

River and rain flooding is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Del Mar, and Del Mar’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts. Tsunamis add 2%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Del Mar sits
Del Mar
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #176 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Del Mar’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding64%Earthquakes32%Everything else4%

The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Del Mar has less expected damage per building than 79% of California towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.0M a year in losses across Del Mar: $3.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Del Mar covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Del Mar flood? Yes: 109 flood claims since 1980

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Del Mar, from FEMA’s records: 42.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1980: 16 claims1981: 1 claim1982: 2 claims1983: 35 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 1 claim1987: 0 claims1988: 20 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 2 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 17 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 10 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 1 claim2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 2 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198319881998
19802026
Biggest named events
  • The Pineapple Express - Southern16 claims · $595K
  • The Winter storm8 claims · $97K
  • The California Atmospheric River2 claims · $36K
109
paid claims since 1980
$1.4M
paid to owners
17
homes flooded more than once
$13K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Del Mar isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: San Diego County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Del Mar

Disasters that paid out in Del Mar itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Del Mar), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Severe Storm and Flooding3 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
  2. 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$19K to the City of Del Mar for repairs
  3. 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$7K to the City of Del Mar for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  4. 2007Wildfires, Flooding, Mud Flows, and Debris Flows18 households applied for aid$550 aid approved$14K to the City of Del Mar for repairs
  5. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides6 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Del MarSan Diego County only

San Diego County has had 30 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 18 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in San Diego County, 2002–2018.

Were you here?

Old photos of Del Mar after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Del Mar archive →
Next door

Del Mar and its neighbors

Del Mar is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

San Diego: hazard risk CSolana Beach: hazard risk CSan DiegoSolana BeachDel Mar
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Solana BeachCmore damage than 71%river and rain flooding19
San DiegoCmore damage than 73%river and rain flooding589
Del MarC−more damage than 80%river and rain flooding109

Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.

Be ready

Get ready for what Del Mar faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Del Mar

Is Del Mar at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Del Mar has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #176 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%) and earthquakes (32%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Del Mar flood?

Flood insurance has paid 109 claims in Del Mar since 1980, $1.4M in all, or 42.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 17 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (16).

Is Del Mar in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In San Diego County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Del Mar?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Del Mar’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Del Mar?

By FEMA money that reached Del Mar, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2022): $19K to the City of Del Mar for repairs. By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 16 paid, $595K.

Is Del Mar at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Del Mar’s rate for it is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Del Mar.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Del Mar’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.