Natural disaster risk in Palm Beach County, Florida
Florida · population 1,489,461 · FIPS 12099
Overall: relatively high risk
Palm Beach County has a composite risk score of 99.2 out of 100 — among the highest 1% of US counties. It ranks 3 of 67 in Florida (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, lightning, heat wave.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 48 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 18.82% of Palm Beach County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 48 weeks in a row.
Drought in Palm Beach 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 99.2 |
| Expected annual loss About $518.6 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively high 99.1 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 59.8 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively low 24.5 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Palm Beach County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | Very high 99 |
| Lightning | Very high 99 |
| Heat wave | Relatively high 98 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively high 98 |
| Drought | Relatively high 94 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively high 93 |
| Strong wind | Relatively high 93 |
| Tornado | Relatively high 93 |
| Cold wave | Relatively high 92 |
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 95 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 77 |
| Hail | Relatively low 43 |
| Earthquake | Very low 44 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Ice storm | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
| Winter weather | No rating |
FEMA disaster declarations for Palm Beach County
Federal declarations that designated Palm Beach County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Palm Beach County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4834-FL (Hurricane Milton), declared 11 Oct 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4834-FL | Major disaster | Hurricane Milton | 11 Oct 2024 | Yes |
| EM-3622-FL | Emergency | Hurricane Milton | 7 Oct 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Florida, 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 Palm Beach County, Florida?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Palm Beach County as relatively high, with a score of 99.2 out of 100 (among the highest 1% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Palm Beach County?
The hazards rated highest for Palm Beach County are hurricane (very high), lightning (very high), heat wave (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Palm Beach County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Palm Beach County as relatively high, and coastal flooding risk as relatively high. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Palm Beach County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Palm Beach County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4834-FL (Hurricane Milton), declared 11 Oct 2024.
Is Palm Beach County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 18.82% of Palm Beach County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 48 weeks in a row.
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