Natural disaster risk in Palo Alto County, Iowa
Iowa · population 8,984 · FIPS 19147
Overall: very low risk
Palo Alto County has a composite risk score of 15.5 out of 100 — higher than 15% of US counties. It ranks 93 of 99 in Iowa (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, hail, lightning.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 18.55% of Palo Alto 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 35 weeks in a row.
Drought in Palo Alto 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 15.5 |
| Expected annual loss About $9.7 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 33.8 |
| 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. |
Very high 86.5 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Palo Alto County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 77 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 59 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 62 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 50 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 38 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 22 |
| Ice storm | Very low 25 |
| Landslide | Very low 16 |
| Heat wave | Very low 10 |
| Wildfire | Very low 10 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 8 |
| Earthquake | Very low 6 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Palo Alto County
Federal declarations that designated Palo Alto County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Palo Alto County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration 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 | Yes |
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 Palo Alto County, Iowa?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Palo Alto County as very low, with a score of 15.5 out of 100 (higher than 15% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Palo Alto County?
The hazards rated highest for Palo Alto County are drought (relatively moderate), hail (relatively moderate), lightning (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Palo Alto County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Palo Alto County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Palo Alto County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Palo Alto County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4796-IA (Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes), declared 24 Jun 2024.
Is Palo Alto County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 18.55% of Palo Alto 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 35 weeks in a row.
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