Natural disaster risk in Walton County, Florida
Florida · population 75,211 · FIPS 12131
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Walton County has a composite risk score of 88.6 out of 100 — higher than 88% of US counties. It ranks 33 of 67 in Florida (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, lightning, tornado.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Walton County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 1 week so far.
Drought in Walton 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 moderate 88.6 |
| Expected annual loss About $68.4 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 87.5 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 51.7 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 60.7 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Walton County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively high 97 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 95 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 85 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively moderate 62 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 75 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 69 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 68 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 52 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 39 |
| Earthquake | Very low 46 |
| Landslide | Very low 45 |
| Drought | Very low 22 |
| Winter weather | Very low 22 |
| Ice storm | Very low 18 |
| Hail | Very low 15 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Walton County
Federal declarations that designated Walton County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Walton County has been named in 5 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3655-FL (Hurricane Isaias), declared 9 Oct 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3655-FL | Emergency | Hurricane Isaias | 9 Oct 2026 | No |
| DR-4828-FL | Major disaster | Hurricane Helene | 28 Sep 2024 | No |
| EM-3615-FL | Emergency | Tropical Storm Helene | 24 Sep 2024 | No |
| DR-4806-FL | Major disaster | Hurricane Debby | 10 Aug 2024 | No |
| EM-3605-FL | Emergency | Tropical Storm Debby | 3 Aug 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 Walton County, Florida?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Walton County as relatively moderate, with a score of 88.6 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 Walton County?
The hazards rated highest for Walton County are hurricane (relatively high), lightning (relatively high), tornado (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Walton County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Walton County as relatively low, and coastal flooding risk as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Walton County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Walton County has been named in 5 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3655-FL (Hurricane Isaias), declared 9 Oct 2026.
Is Walton County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Walton County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 1 week so far.
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