Natural disaster risk in Jefferson County, Alabama
Alabama · population 673,766 · FIPS 01073
Overall: relatively high risk
Jefferson County has a composite risk score of 97.6 out of 100 — higher than 97% of US counties. It ranks 2 of 67 in Alabama (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are lightning, tornado, cold wave.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 30.08% of Jefferson County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for 7 weeks in a row.
Drought in Jefferson 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 high 97.6 |
| Expected annual loss About $262.4 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively high 96.9 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 56.2 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 80 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Jefferson County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Lightning | Very high 99 |
| Tornado | Very high 99 |
| Cold wave | Relatively high 98 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively high 98 |
| Heat wave | Relatively high 97 |
| Strong wind | Relatively high 97 |
| Ice storm | Relatively high 87 |
| Earthquake | Relatively moderate 96 |
| Landslide | Relatively moderate 94 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 79 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 79 |
| Hurricane | Relatively low 76 |
| Hail | Very low 32 |
| Drought | Very low 26 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Jefferson County
Federal declarations that designated Jefferson County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, Alabama?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Jefferson County as relatively high, with a score of 97.6 out of 100 (higher than 97% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Jefferson County?
The hazards rated highest for Jefferson County are lightning (very high), tornado (very high), cold wave (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Jefferson County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Jefferson County as relatively high. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Jefferson County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Jefferson 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 Jefferson County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 30.08% of Jefferson County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for 7 weeks in a row.
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