79908 Climate & Property Risk Report
Free address-level climate risk context for 79908 in El Paso, Texas. Flood, wildfire, hurricane, earthquake, and heat — with insurance estimates and buyer guidance.
El Paso, Texas 79908, United States
Data retrieved: Jun 18, 2026 at 10:49 UTC
Overall Risk
Around the national median (50th percentile)
County-level composite
Est. Annual Insurance
$1,322 – $2,643
Directional range
Premium Strain
2.4% of median income
moderate
Flood Insurance
Not required
Parcel falls outside SFHA
Insurance Market Context
These scores are county-level composites derived from FEMA National Risk Index. Individual parcels may differ significantly. This is not a property appraisal.
Market Pressure
HIGH
Texas's admitted-carrier market is contracting. A broker with state-specific experience is strongly recommended.
Admitted Market Share
67%
Carriers exiting at 6.2% YoY in Texas.
Residual Market
$2,400–$5,400
annual · last-resort
FAIR Plan / Citizens exposure up 81% since 2020.
Premium Strain Index
Insurance is roughly 2.4% of median household income — manageable but worth budgeting for.
Premium-to-income ratio. Based on state Department of Insurance filings, average annual premiums in this area range from $1,322 to $2,643. Not an insurance quote. The First Street 12th National Risk Assessment characterizes any ZIP above 5% as financially unsustainable.
El Paso County Hazard Breakdown
Scores below are from the federal National Risk Index at the county level, refined with parcel-level signals where available (FEMA NFHL for flood, USDA WHP for wildfire, USGS PGA for earthquake, NWS for heat).
Below the national median (65th percentile)
Hurricane
LowBelow the national median (65th percentile)
Earthquake
LowAbove the national median (top 38%)
Extreme Heat
SubstantialBelow the national median (79th percentile)
Flood
LowBelow the national median (71th percentile)
Wildfire
LowWhat each hazard means for you
Expand any card to see the federal source citation and the buyer-specific action items our research team recommends for this hazard profile.
Hurricane Risk
Federal hurricane data unavailable; score is a seed estimate.
NOAA · National Risk Index (HRCN)
Earthquake Risk
USGS PGA: 0.135g at this location. NRI county data unavailable.
USGS · Design Maps (ASCE 7-16) + NRI
Extreme Heat
NRI heat risk: Around the national median (53th percentile). NWS 7-day forecast: max 102°F, 8 day(s) ≥95°F.
NOAA · NWS Gridded Forecast + NRI
Flood Risk
Federal flood data unavailable for this location; score is a seed estimate.
FEMA · National Risk Index
Wildfire Risk
Federal wildfire data unavailable; score is a seed estimate.
USDA · National Risk Index
Lower-risk alternatives nearby
Communities within 25 miles of Texas 79908 with a measurably lower composite climate risk. Useful as a comp set when evaluating whether to negotiate on this address or pivot to a nearby one.
Galveston, TX
Top 15% nationally
8 miles away
FEMA Flood Zone
Is this specific parcel in a Special Flood Hazard Area?
The free address snapshot queries FEMA NFHL point-in-polygon and returns your exact FEMA Flood Zone (A, AE, X, etc.) in seconds.
Run a free address lookupCarrier Outlook
Texas's admitted-carrier market is contracting. A broker with state-specific experience is strongly recommended.
Connect with a broker who writes in TXData Sources
Data Sources & Methodology
FEMA— National Risk Index
Retrieved June 18, 2026
NOAA— National Risk Index (HRCN)
Retrieved June 18, 2026
USDA— National Risk Index
Retrieved June 18, 2026
USGS— Design Maps (ASCE 7-16) + NRI
Retrieved June 18, 2026
NOAA— NWS Gridded Forecast + NRI
Retrieved June 18, 2026
What buyers should know
Buying in 79908: a risk primer
Before you write an offer on a home in El Paso, understand how climate and insurance costs affect long-term ownership in 79908.
79908 in El Paso, Texas, scores around the national median on our composite climate-risk index. That ranking reflects the combined influence of extreme heat exposure (62) and hurricane wind exposure (35) in this ZIP code. Before writing an offer, buyers should understand which hazard drives the score and how it shows up in insurance premiums and long-term maintenance costs.
The data below is assembled from five federal sources — FEMA (flood and National Risk Index), NOAA (storm history and heat), USGS (seismic design), and USDA (wildfire hazard potential) — and is refreshed quarterly. Use it as a starting point for due diligence, not a substitute for a licensed inspector, structural engineer, or insurance agent.
Heat risk in 79908
The extreme heat exposure score for 79908 is 62 (high), which is around or slightly above the national median. 79908 sees moderate extreme-heat exposure. Cooling degree days are elevated enough that annual utility costs will be meaningfully higher than in cooler parts of Texas.
For a specific address inside 79908, this score can shift meaningfully. A home on a ridge may have lower flood exposure than one in a valley; a parcel surrounded by irrigated lawn may have lower wildfire exposure than one against open space. The $19 Risk Before Buy report resolves these parcel-level differences and includes a 30-year projection for each hazard.
Hurricane risk in 79908
The hurricane wind exposure score for 79908 is 35 (low), which is below the national median. Hurricane wind is not the primary driver of risk in 79908. The bigger question for most buyers here is whether a standard policy already includes wind coverage or whether a separate wind pool endorsement is required.
For a specific address inside 79908, this score can shift meaningfully. A home on a ridge may have lower flood exposure than one in a valley; a parcel surrounded by irrigated lawn may have lower wildfire exposure than one against open space. The $19 Risk Before Buy report resolves these parcel-level differences and includes a 30-year projection for each hazard.
Insurance is where climate risk becomes a monthly payment. In 79908, our directional estimate for a standard homeowners policy plus required hazard coverage is $1,322 – $2,643 per year. That estimate assumes a mid-range home and does not include optional coverages such as earthquake, flood (where not required), or higher wind deductibles.
Relative to local incomes, that premium range equals approximately 2.4% of the El Paso County median household income — a moderate premium-to-income burden. As a rule of thumb, premiums above 3–4% of household income begin to compress affordability and can reduce the pool of future buyers when you eventually sell.
Buyer action items
- Get carrier quotes early. Ask at least two admitted-market carriers and one surplus-line broker for a homeowners quote that explicitly includes extreme heat exposure and hurricane wind exposure. Do this before the inspection contingency expires.
- Add a climate contingency to the purchase agreement. Our free Texas-specific contract templates let you make the deal contingent on acceptable insurance premiums, flood-zone status, or seller-provided mitigation documentation.
- Order hazard-specific inspections if the top risks warrant it. In 79908, that may mean a flood-zone determination, a wildfire/defensible-space assessment, a structural/seismic review, or a wind-mitigation inspection depending on which hazards score highest.
Frequently asked questions
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Full Report
Tier L2
12-page address-level deep dive delivered in minutes.
- Five-hazard score breakdown (flood, wildfire, hurricane, earthquake, heat)
- 30-year federal climate projections (FEMA, NOAA, USGS, EPA)
- Insurance premium estimate (range) based on state DOI filings
- Clear buy / negotiate / walk-away verdict, not a single ambiguous score
- 3 comparable lower-risk neighborhoods within 25 miles
- Saves you 6+ hours of digging through FEMA, NFIP, NRI and NOAA on your own
- Explains what SFHA, BFE, EAL and residual-market mean in plain English
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Best for: pre-offer sanity check
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Federal data: FEMA, USGS, NOAA, USDA, EPA
Pre-Purchase Audit
Tier L3
Adds parcel-level flood evaluation, state insurance-market context, claim history, and a negotiation brief on top of the $19 report.
- Everything in the $19 Full Report
- Parcel-level FEMA flood zone + BFE considerations (point-in-polygon)
- State insurance market pressure + admitted-carrier density
- Premium Strain Index (% of county median income, vs. 5% unaffordable line)
- 10-year NOAA Storm Events claim history for the ZIP
- Negotiation leverage brief with 3-5 specific, evidence-backed asks
- Optional free connection to a licensed independent broker in your state
- Saves you from discovering an uninsurable address after you've gone under contract
- Removes guesswork on what to ask for in repairs, credits, or price reduction
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Best for: under-contract buyers
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Free contract templates for Texas buyers
Download free climate-risk contingency addendums written for Texas purchase agreements. Add extreme-heat, hurricane, or earthquake contingencies to your offer.
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