Natural disaster risk in Madison County, Iowa
Iowa · population 16,548 · FIPS 19121
Overall: very low risk
Madison County has a composite risk score of 35.5 out of 100 — higher than 35% of US counties. It ranks 51 of 99 in Iowa (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, strong wind, landslide.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Madison County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 27 weeks in a row.
Drought in Madison 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 35.5 |
| Expected annual loss About $10.3 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 36.1 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 54.7 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 88.7 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Madison County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively high 95 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 64 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 78 |
| Hail | Relatively low 67 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 55 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 54 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 51 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 51 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 45 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 36 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 28 |
| Wildfire | Very low 59 |
| Earthquake | Very low 17 |
| Hurricane | Very low 8 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Madison County
Federal declarations that designated Madison County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Madison County.
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 Madison County, Iowa?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Madison County as very low, with a score of 35.5 out of 100 (higher than 35% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Madison County?
The hazards rated highest for Madison County are drought (relatively high), strong wind (relatively moderate), landslide (relatively low).
What is the flood risk in Madison County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Madison County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Madison County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Madison County.
Is Madison County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Madison County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 27 weeks in a row.
Every county in Iowa, ranked · All states · Disasters near me