Reno, NV

Reno sits at the convergence of two physically distinct hazard corridors—the Truckee River floodplain running through the urban core, and the wildland fringe expanding at the city's southern and northwestern edges. The 2017 high-water event on the Truckee renewed attention to Downtown and Old Southwest exposure that had been manageable in lower-precipitation years but became active risk under atmospheric river conditions. The 2021 Caldor and Dixie Fire smoke seasons affected Reno's air quality repeatedly—neither fire reached the city, but smoke disrupted daily life and summer livability in ways that the wildfire score at the 74th national percentile does not fully convey. What we noticed: the risk in Reno does not distribute uniformly across zip codes. South Reno's 89511 and Northwest Reno's 89523 face materially higher wildland-edge exposure than Downtown or Old Southwest—carrier availability narrows as properties approach foothill terrain. Truckee River proximity deserves parcel-level flood review in 89501: standard flood zone designations can understate the actual inundation risk for low-lying properties adjacent to the river corridor. Annual premiums range from $1,300 to $3,000—lower overall, with tightening near wildland edges. Smoke-season livability is a real quality-of-life variable that aggregate risk scores do not capture—consecutive summers of degraded air quality affect outdoor use and health exposure in ways that standard insurance products do not address. Heat at the 47th national percentile is low, consistent with Reno's elevation and desert-basin climate. Flood at the 59th national percentile is moderate—concentrated along the Truckee, not dispersed across the metro. Reno's diligence is a river-location and fire-fringe question, not a headline climate-risk story.

— Open Data Collective