Neither. We get snow storms!

Some flooding, ice storms, tornadoes, winds that aren't associated with tornadoes but strong storms. They were predicting remnants of Harvey causing flooding/wind damage here but so far I think it's just been in Western KY and in TN. Just been cold and drizzly here.

Fires. I'm dealing with one right now. California does have occasional flooding, but fires are a much bigger worry all up and down the state. We have hot dry summers with little to no rain. Our rainy season starts about mid October and it can't get here soon enough as far as I'm concerned.

Really, neither. We are coastal, so more moist than many places. Traditionally, between the DNR and private timber companies, there was rarely a fire that could not be managed quickly. DH supervised on a couple when younger, I don't think gone more than a night or two ever, then free to return home when controlled.

The 'coastal' helps with flooding too, and terrain with elevation. We have flooded here locally - our downtown, sometimes low lying farmland, and one section of town that is lower and right along the river/top of the bay. Very short lived, even in a blinding driving rainstorm with wind. It takes just about one low tide change to scour out excess water - it flushes out to sea. High water with high tide and heavy rain, gone several hours later when low tide occurs.

Neither.

Our tragedies are snow storms & murders.

Where I live, fire and earthquake are the two biggest risks.

Yes, SoCal is more apt to have wild fires. It's been absolutely miserable the last few days.....so dry and hot. Can't wait for winter.

ritamay, it's going to be 110 here tomorrow...I hate it. Ugh!

Fire. This is our state fire map. It doesn't include the minor brush fires that happen daily and are quickly contained.
http://www.fire.ca.gov/general/firemaps

Well, I'm in Texas but our state is so big that each area has different weather concerns.

I live in a semi-arid region in tornado alley so primarily we have to deal with tornadoes or wildfires (usually tied to drought conditions). During the winter we can have blizzards or ice storms come through that shut down the region as well.

We also get flash flooding which can be quite dangerous and paralyzing to the area but also extremely short lived.

Mostly my area is known for our extreme weather changes. Drastic temp changes, crazy winds, freezing cold winter's, insanely hot summers, blizzards, droughts, tornadoes, etc. We definitely have a wide range of weather here.

Tornadoes are our biggie. After a few years, everybody here develops an eerie fatalism while being glued to the weather channels.

All of the above. Our state has had every kind of weather there is from white-outs, blizzards and ice storms to tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, 100+ degree weather to below zero temps and even earthquakes. The good news is when we get these events, they tend to be less severe and less frequent than in other states.

Forest fires/brush fires happen here, but they don't tend to burn such large areas as they do out west simply because we aren't that large a state. We had a long-lasting one last year that burned about 350 acres, which is a lot for us. The thousand-acre plus fires haven't happened around here since the railroads diminished.

I'm in Texas also. You already know flooding is the big fear here in Houston... long with it comes the mold, mosquitos, fire ants and alligators. 8o

I've lived in four different states over the last several years. We've managed to hit different disasters in every single state that were extreme... ice storms without power, flash floods in streets, release of toxic gas from an industrial failure, record hail storm that lasted an hour, wind storms that last for days out west, record blizzards with 28 inches of snow in a state that only had three previous blizzard on record. wild fires, and tornado threats. We've learned something new every single place we lived.

Texas Gem wrote exactly what works for Oklahoma too. Just put Oklahoma where she put Texas!

Texas_Gem

Well, I'm in Texas but our state is so big that each area has different weather concerns.

I live in a semi-arid region in tornado alley so primarily we have to
deal with tornadoes or wildfires (usually tied to drought conditions).
During the winter we can have blizzards or ice storms come through that
shut down the region as well.

We also get flash flooding which can be quite dangerous and paralyzing to the area but also extremely short lived.

Mostly my area is known for our extreme weather changes. Drastic
temp changes, crazy winds, freezing cold winter's, insanely hot summers,
blizzards, droughts, tornadoes, etc. We definitely have a wide range
of weather here.

There is a flood-prone area in California, the Delta area, containing a lot of low lying ground and dikes and other places where Sierra snow melt passes enroute to the ocean (and intakes of freshwater systems). Other than Sacramento and a few other towns, it's recreation areas and farmland. Not really much flood risk elsewhere. The greater risk is fire but that too, with a few exceptions, is restricted to remote and thinly populated areas. While there have been a few odd fires here and there in more populated areas (I'm thinking of the Oakland Hills fire in 1991 and a few other smaller ones over the years), most fires aren't in populated areas and so affect a small number of people.

We chose to move to northwestern Virginia when we retired because severe weather is very rare; we have four distinct seasons; very little crime; beautiful scenery; moderate cost of living; friendly people (I'll take a "redneck" any day of the week over the hoity-toity high-society folks).

I live where Moni lives. Just need to add earthquakes to the post.

wanda, I don't think people-types or region-types are as black and white as your comment suggests. But I'll send any true rednecks I encounter in your direction, I have no time or interest for same. And no, I'm not a "high society" type.

Limiting your expectations that only fires or only floods or only tornadoes or only earthquakes can happen to you is extremely short-sighted. You have to be prepared for ANYTHING.

Here in central Virginia we've had an assortment of all of the above since we moved here in 1999, but not very frequently, and often less severe than other places experience. We've had:

• 1 tornado (F1)

• 1 earthquake (5.5)

• 1 derecho

• 2 snowpocalypses

• 2 microbursts

• 2 lightning strikes (on trees in our yard)

• 1 hurricane (Isabel)

• 1 major ice storm

• 1 damaging hail storm

• 1 drought

• 1 forest fire (close enough that we could see and smell the smoke)

• maybe 3 days of below 0 deg F weather

• 1 unrelenting heat wave (two weeks over 100 deg F)

• 1 serial killer

• and 1 racist Nazi riot

I doubt there's proof, but it seems to me that Lake Michigan 'protects' us, here north of Chicago. Radar often shows a storm approaching from the west, then it falls apart close to the lake. The lake also moderates our temperature. Sometimes the lake breeze is les welcome, dumping "lake effect snow" in winter. We rarely have damaging winds.

However, I think the weather forecasters are struggling. Historic patterns don't apply with climate change in places near and far. Today our blue skies are dimmed by ash from Canadian wildfires. Last winter there was *no snow* here after December. We're getting more rain instead -- and floods along major rivers.

ALL weather is getting worse thanks to climate change which many still deny as they find themselves flooded out. Here in PA we had a devastating flood, Agnes, in 1972, I think, but flood only had 12 inches compared to Houston's 50 ..We have snowstorms, horrible summer humidity and heat and droughts.

I live in Southern California. A fire came very close to me. They are scary. I lost my brakes in a heavy rain that flooded the streets. And I've been through two major earthquakes.

I still love it, and wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

In our current location in the south, tornados are the major hazard, then probably ice storms that can knock out power for days. This fall we are moving to Colorado and wildfires are the biggest hazard. Although our area gets lots of snow, I wouldn't characterize snowstorms or even blizzards as a real hazards because city services can handle it well (unless you are traveling out of town and then you must be prepared). I think the only time the schools have been ever closed for weather is when the temps dip below -40 and the buses can't operate. That's only happened once in about the last 15 years.

In present day Wisconisn, I'd say the fire or flood held equal standings. Most of our floods come from sewer backups into basements. We do get flooded properties from time to time, but these are in known flood plains and the hazard is known well in advance of any heavy rain.

The danger of wild fire is lessened in normal years, but does increase during droughts. I'd rate tornadoes as the most likely culprit to cause damage and death.

However, back in the 1800's, we did have the "Peshtigo Fire" that was as devastating as any in modern times. It occurred on the same day as the great Chicago fire and Chicago got the press; Peshtigo was ignored although it is considered the worst fire of any in the lower US states. It killed many people. See link below:

http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2076476_2076484_2076503,00.html