Natural disaster risk in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska
Alaska · population 95,579 · FIPS 02090
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Fairbanks North Star Borough has a composite risk score of 88.5 out of 100 — higher than 88% of US counties. It ranks 4 of 30 in Alaska (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are winter weather, landslide, cold wave.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Fairbanks North Star Borough is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 5 weeks in a row.
Drought in Fairbanks North Star Borough: 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 moderate 88.5 |
| Expected annual loss About $101.3 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 90.8 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 10.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively low 26 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Fairbanks North Star Borough, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Winter weather | Very high 97 |
| Landslide | Relatively high 99 |
| Cold wave | Relatively high 96 |
| Earthquake | Relatively moderate 97 |
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 97 |
| Avalanche | Relatively moderate 79 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 60 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 45 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 35 |
| Volcanic activity | Very low 53 |
| Hail | Very low 1 |
| Strong wind | Very low 1 |
| Tornado | Very low 0 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Drought | No rating |
| Heat wave | Insufficient data |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Fairbanks North Star Borough
Federal declarations that designated Fairbanks North Star Borough, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Fairbanks North Star Borough has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is FM-5597-AK (Nenana Ridge Complex), declared 6 Jul 2025.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FM-5597-AK | Fire management | Nenana Ridge Complex | 6 Jul 2025 | No |
| FM-5596-AK | Fire management | Himalaya Road Fire | 23 Jun 2025 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Alaska, 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Fairbanks North Star Borough as relatively moderate, with a score of 88.5 out of 100 (higher than 88% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Fairbanks North Star Borough?
The hazards rated highest for Fairbanks North Star Borough are winter weather (very high), landslide (relatively high), cold wave (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Fairbanks North Star Borough?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Fairbanks North Star Borough as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Fairbanks North Star Borough had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Fairbanks North Star Borough has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is FM-5597-AK (Nenana Ridge Complex), declared 6 Jul 2025.
Is Fairbanks North Star Borough in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Fairbanks North Star Borough is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 5 weeks in a row.
Every borough or census area in Alaska, ranked · All states · Disasters near me