Natural disaster risk in Marshall County, Iowa
Iowa · population 40,092 · FIPS 19127
Overall: relatively low risk
Marshall County has a composite risk score of 62.5 out of 100 — higher than 62% of US counties. It ranks 14 of 99 in Iowa (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, strong wind, winter weather.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Marshall County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 18 weeks in a row.
Drought in Marshall 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 62.5 |
| Expected annual loss About $22.7 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 64.7 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 39.9 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 63.4 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Marshall County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively high 97 |
| Strong wind | Relatively high 86 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 84 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 80 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 63 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 50 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 41 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 26 |
| Wildfire | Very low 62 |
| Landslide | Very low 50 |
| Earthquake | Very low 27 |
| Hurricane | Very low 15 |
| Heat wave | Very low 10 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Marshall County
Federal declarations that designated Marshall County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Marshall County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4784-IA (Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 24 May 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 Marshall County, Iowa?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Marshall County as relatively low, with a score of 62.5 out of 100 (higher than 62% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Marshall County?
The hazards rated highest for Marshall County are drought (relatively high), strong wind (relatively high), winter weather (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Marshall County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Marshall County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Marshall County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Marshall County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4784-IA (Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 24 May 2024.
Is Marshall County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Marshall County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 18 weeks in a row.
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