Natural disaster risk in Kossuth County, Iowa
Iowa · population 14,815 · FIPS 19109
Overall: very low risk
Kossuth County has a composite risk score of 32.3 out of 100 — higher than 32% of US counties. It ranks 58 of 99 in Iowa (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, winter weather, 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, 51% of Kossuth 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 38 weeks in a row.
Drought in Kossuth 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. |
Very low 32.3 |
| Expected annual loss About $15.7 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 52.2 |
| 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 high 75.6 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Kossuth County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively high 93 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 71 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 70 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 61 |
| Hail | Relatively low 51 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 36 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 35 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 34 |
| Landslide | Very low 31 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 26 |
| Wildfire | Very low 13 |
| Earthquake | Very low 11 |
| Heat wave | Very low 10 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Kossuth County
Federal declarations that designated Kossuth County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Kossuth County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4796-IA (Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes), declared 24 Jun 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4796-IA | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | 24 Jun 2024 | No |
| DR-4784-IA | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 24 May 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Iowa, 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 Kossuth County, Iowa?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Kossuth County as very low, with a score of 32.3 out of 100 (higher than 32% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Kossuth County?
The hazards rated highest for Kossuth County are drought (relatively high), winter weather (relatively moderate), cold wave (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Kossuth County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Kossuth County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Kossuth County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Kossuth County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4796-IA (Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes), declared 24 Jun 2024.
Is Kossuth County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 51% of Kossuth 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 38 weeks in a row.
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