Natural disaster risk in Hot Spring County, Arkansas
Arkansas · population 33,028 · FIPS 05059
Overall: relatively low risk
Hot Spring County has a composite risk score of 55.5 out of 100 — higher than 55% of US counties. It ranks 37 of 75 in Arkansas (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are ice storm, lightning, strong wind.
Drought now: Yes: D3 Extreme Drought, 2 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 2.01% of Hot Spring County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 2 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Hot Spring 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 55.5 |
| Expected annual loss About $13.6 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 47.1 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 77.4 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively low 29.7 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Hot Spring County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Ice storm | Relatively high 93 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 86 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 81 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 78 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 68 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 77 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 76 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 62 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 58 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 55 |
| Wildfire | Very low 55 |
| Hurricane | Very low 53 |
| Drought | Very low 26 |
| Cold wave | Very low 14 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Hot Spring County
Federal declarations that designated Hot Spring County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Hot Spring County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3636-AR (Severe Winter Storm), declared 24 Jan 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3636-AR | Emergency | Severe Winter Storm | 24 Jan 2026 | No |
| DR-4873-AR | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 21 May 2025 | Yes |
| DR-4865-AR | Major disaster | Severe Storms and Tornadoes | 8 May 2025 | Yes |
| EM-3627-AR | Emergency | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 5 Apr 2025 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Arkansas, 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 Hot Spring County, Arkansas?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Hot Spring County as relatively low, with a score of 55.5 out of 100 (higher than 55% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Hot Spring County?
The hazards rated highest for Hot Spring County are ice storm (relatively high), lightning (relatively high), strong wind (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Hot Spring County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Hot Spring County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Hot Spring County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Hot Spring County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3636-AR (Severe Winter Storm), declared 24 Jan 2026.
Is Hot Spring County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 2.01% of Hot Spring County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 2 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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