Natural disaster risk in Barren County, Kentucky
Kentucky · population 44,465 · FIPS 21009
Overall: relatively low risk
Barren County has a composite risk score of 67.9 out of 100 — higher than 67% of US counties. It ranks 25 of 120 in Kentucky (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are strong wind, hail, tornado.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 4 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 89.09% of Barren County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 4 weeks in a row.
Drought in Barren 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 67.9 |
| Expected annual loss About $19.7 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 59.7 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 80.2 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 55.3 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Barren County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Strong wind | Relatively high 89 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 89 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 85 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 80 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 79 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 76 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 72 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 77 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 67 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 61 |
| Drought | Relatively low 48 |
| Hurricane | Very low 45 |
| Landslide | Very low 41 |
| Wildfire | Very low 16 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Barren County
Federal declarations that designated Barren County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Barren County has been named in 8 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4913-KY (Severe Winter Storm), declared 29 May 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4913-KY | Major disaster | Severe Winter Storm | 29 May 2026 | No |
| EM-3633-KY | Emergency | Severe Winter Storm | 24 Jan 2026 | No |
| DR-4875-KY | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | 23 May 2025 | No |
| DR-4864-KY | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 24 Apr 2025 | No |
| EM-3626-KY | Emergency | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 3 Apr 2025 | No |
| DR-4860-KY | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 24 Feb 2025 | No |
| EM-3624-KY | Emergency | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides | 16 Feb 2025 | No |
| DR-4804-KY | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, and Mudslides | 23 Jul 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Kentucky, 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 Barren County, Kentucky?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Barren County as relatively low, with a score of 67.9 out of 100 (higher than 67% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Barren County?
The hazards rated highest for Barren County are strong wind (relatively high), hail (relatively moderate), tornado (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Barren County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Barren County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Barren County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Barren County has been named in 8 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4913-KY (Severe Winter Storm), declared 29 May 2026.
Is Barren County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 89.09% of Barren County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 4 weeks in a row.
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