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Japanese-American Historic DistrictPhoto: Nicolasam · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Walnut Grove · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Walnut Grove

Walnut Grove isn’t graded for hazard risk: Walnut Grove has 926 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 60 claims here since 1980.

Flood claims
60
paid since 1980 · $1.7M
Disasters paid out here
2
of 19 declared for Sacramento County
By hazard

What Walnut Grove faces

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

Earthquakes

68%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

32%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Wildfire Hail Strong wind Winter storms Heat waves Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity top 5%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 65% of Walnut Grove’s expected losses. Drought does little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Walnut Grove flood? Sometimes: 60 flood claims since 1980

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Walnut Grove, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1980: 2 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 19 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 2 claims1996: 3 claims1997: 13 claims1998: 6 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 2 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 8 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 3 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198619972017
19802026
Biggest named events
  • The Pineapple Express - Southern4 claims · $58K
  • The California Atmospheric River3 claims · $299K
60
paid claims since 1980
$1.7M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$28K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Sacramento County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
5homes raised above flood level
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Walnut Grove

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

  1. 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides48 households applied for aid$81K aid approved
  2. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides5 households applied for aid$8K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Walnut GroveSacramento County only

Sacramento County has had 19 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Walnut Grove archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Walnut Grove faces

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

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Walnut Grove

Does Walnut Grove flood?

Flood insurance has paid 60 claims in Walnut Grove since 1980, $1.7M in all. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (4).

Is Walnut Grove 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 Sacramento County, 81% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 9.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Walnut Grove?

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

By FEMA money that reached Walnut Grove, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2022): 48 households applied for aid, $81K approved. By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 4 paid, $58K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Walnut Grove.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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