Hazard Detail

Severe Weather (High Wind and Extreme Heat)

Oakland's severe weather risk is mainly about high wind and extreme heat. These events can cause dangerous heat exposure, blackouts, tree failures, blocked roads, and service disruptions.

High risk 8/10 priority severe-weather-high-wind-and-extreme-heat

Location Context

What this page is using

This hazard page is using your saved Oakland location: No location selected.

This page is still grounded in the JSON dataset, but this hazard does not yet have ZIP-specific scoring in the current risk CSV.

What This Means

Why it matters

You do not have to live in the hills or on the shoreline to be affected. A hot spell or wind event can affect your power, your health, your commute, and your ability to get reliable information.

Realistic Impact

What could happen

A heat wave could push indoor temperatures too high, while a wind event or PSPS could shut off power, limit cooling, block roads with fallen trees, and force people to seek clean-air or cooling spaces.

This is the hazard most people are likely to feel often. It can mean dangerous heat at home, power loss, blocked streets, and outages that make other health and safety problems worse.

Action Steps

Interactive checklist

Severe Weather (High Wind and Extreme Heat) Preparedness: 0/5 complete

High risk

Trim or remove trees that could affect power lines when it is safe and allowed. Plan for 72-hour self-sufficiency during outages. Get a NOAA weather radio or another non-cell backup warning source. Know where cooling or respite options are, especially if your home gets hot or loses power easily. If you run or manage a facility, plan for backup power and communication redundancy.

Top Risks

Main dangers

Heat illness and death during extreme heat events.
Power outages and PSPS events that cut off cooling and communications.
Downed trees and power lines that block roads and damage property.
Hospitals and cooling centers struggling when backup power is limited.
Whole-city impacts because all residents and all lifelines are exposed.

Priority Reason

Why this is ranked here

The LHMP ranks severe weather high and says both high wind and extreme heat are likely at least once each year. It scores high for the app because the whole city is exposed and these events already cause deaths, power outages, blocked roads, and health emergencies.

Locations

Areas mentioned in the dataset

Citywide.
Industrial flatlands affected by urban heat island conditions.
Areas near trees or power lines that can fail during wind events.

At-Risk Groups

Who may need extra planning

Older adults, infants, children, and pregnant people.
People with asthma, heart disease, or other pre-existing health conditions.
People who work or exercise outside, people without air conditioning, and households that cannot afford to run it.
Unhoused residents, Equity Priority Communities, and people with disabilities or access and functional needs.

History

Historical examples

June 10-11, 2019 excessive heat event with more than 50,000 power losses and reported fatalities.
March 21, 2023 cyclone with more than 110,000 customers losing power in the Bay Area and Santa Cruz County, and one unhoused man near Lake Merritt killed by a tree.
April 3, 2023 straight-line wind event linked to broader severe weather impacts.

Quick Stats

Key stats

Official Priority Risk Index (PRI): 3.5, ranked High.
The LHMP says there is a high probability of at least one high-wind event each year and at least one extreme heat event each year.
Population exposed: 440,637 people (the entire city).
When temperatures rise above 80 deg F in Alameda County, industrial flatlands can be 5 deg F hotter than the Oakland Hills.
June 10-11, 2019 excessive heat: more than 50,000 people lost power; one direct heat-related death and two drowning deaths while trying to cool down were reported.
FEMA National Risk Index expected annual losses: Heat Wave $1.3 million; Strong Wind $20,036.