Natural disaster risk in Jackson County, Alabama
Alabama · population 52,501 · FIPS 01071
Overall: relatively low risk
Jackson County has a composite risk score of 79.0 out of 100 — higher than 79% of US counties. It ranks 24 of 67 in Alabama (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are tornado, lightning, strong wind.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 3 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 1.54% of Jackson County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 3 weeks in a row. In all, 77.92% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Jackson County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Relatively low 79 |
| Expected annual loss About $29.4 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 71.9 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 77.7 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively low 27.1 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Jackson County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Tornado | Relatively high 92 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 88 |
| Strong wind | Relatively high 88 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 83 |
| Drought | Relatively moderate 83 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 80 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 78 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 66 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 85 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 74 |
| Hurricane | Relatively low 59 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 53 |
| Hail | Relatively low 47 |
| Wildfire | Very low 61 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Jackson County
Federal declarations that designated Jackson County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Jackson County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3618-AL (Hurricane Helene), declared 26 Sep 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3618-AL | Emergency | Hurricane Helene | 26 Sep 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Alabama, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Jackson County, Alabama?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Jackson County as relatively low, with a score of 79.0 out of 100 (higher than 79% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Jackson County?
The hazards rated highest for Jackson County are tornado (relatively high), lightning (relatively high), strong wind (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Jackson County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Jackson County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Jackson County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Jackson County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3618-AL (Hurricane Helene), declared 26 Sep 2024.
Is Jackson County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 1.54% of Jackson County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 3 weeks in a row. In all, 77.92% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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