Natural disaster risk in Webster County, Iowa
Iowa · population 36,988 · FIPS 19187
Overall: relatively low risk
Webster County has a composite risk score of 60.0 out of 100 — higher than 60% of US counties. It ranks 18 of 99 in Iowa (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, tornado, hail.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Webster County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 2 weeks in a row.
Drought in Webster 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 60 |
| Expected annual loss About $24.7 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 67.3 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 21.5 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 83.2 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Webster County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively high 95 |
| Tornado | Relatively high 92 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 79 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 60 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 54 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 47 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 33 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 30 |
| Landslide | Very low 61 |
| Earthquake | Very low 20 |
| Wildfire | Very low 19 |
| Heat wave | Very low 13 |
| Hurricane | Very low 13 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Webster County
Federal declarations that designated Webster 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 Webster 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 Webster County, Iowa?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Webster County as relatively low, with a score of 60.0 out of 100 (higher than 60% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Webster County?
The hazards rated highest for Webster County are drought (relatively high), tornado (relatively high), hail (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Webster County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Webster County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Webster County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Webster County.
Is Webster County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Webster County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 2 weeks in a row.
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