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Woman's Club of LincolnWoman's Club of Lincoln · Photo: T71024 · CC BY-SA 3.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Lincoln · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Lincoln faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lincoln gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #41 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%), then earthquakes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1986.

River and rain flooding 83%Earthquakes 13%Wildfire 4%

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

less than 54%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#41 of 847 in California
Hazard risk
B−#41 of 847
in California · lower than 54% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
83% of expected building damage
Flood claims
5
paid since 1986 · $66K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
3
of 16 declared for Placer County
By hazard

What Lincoln 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

83%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

13%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Heat waves Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamis

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 Lincoln’s grade

River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lincoln, and Lincoln’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 4%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Lincoln sits
Lincoln
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #41 of 847 in California; lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Lincoln’s residents live in 13 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding83%Earthquakes13%Wildfire4%

The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Lincoln has less expected damage per building than 95% of California towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $13.0M a year in losses across Lincoln: $12.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 13 census tracts by where Lincoln’s 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 Lincoln flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1986

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lincoln, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1986: 2 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 1 claim1994: 0 claims1995: 2 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198619931995
19862026
5
paid claims since 1986
$66K
paid to owners
1
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

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

Insurance rates: Placer County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lincoln

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

  1. 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$59K to the City of Lincoln for repairs
  2. 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$42K to the City of Lincoln for repairs
  3. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides$98K to the City of Lincoln for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in LincolnPlacer County only

Placer County has had 16 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 7 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Placer County, 2002–2022.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Lincoln archive →
Next door

Lincoln and its neighbors

Lincoln is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Rocklin: hazard risk BSheridan: hazard risk C−RocklinSheridanLincoln
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
RocklinBless damage than 58%river and rain flooding19
LincolnB−less damage than 54%river and rain flooding5
SheridanC−more damage than 85%river and rain flooding—

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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln

Is Lincoln at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lincoln has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #41 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and earthquakes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Lincoln flood?

Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Lincoln since 1986, $66K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Lincoln 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 Placer County, 43% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Lincoln?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lincoln’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 Lincoln?

By FEMA money that reached Lincoln, Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides (2005): $98K to the City of Lincoln for repairs.

Is Lincoln at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Lincoln’s rate for it is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lincoln.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lincoln’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.