Natural disaster risk in Mercer County, Kentucky
Kentucky · population 22,629 · FIPS 21167
Overall: very low risk
Mercer County has a composite risk score of 41.4 out of 100 — higher than 41% of US counties. It ranks 55 of 120 in Kentucky (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are strong wind, tornado, ice storm.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Mercer 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 2 weeks in a row.
Drought in Mercer 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 41.4 |
| Expected annual loss About $12.1 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 42.5 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 49 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 67.8 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Mercer County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 75 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 69 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 62 |
| Hail | Relatively low 59 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 57 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 53 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 49 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 41 |
| Earthquake | Very low 58 |
| Hurricane | Very low 33 |
| Landslide | Very low 30 |
| Drought | Very low 28 |
| Heat wave | Very low 26 |
| Wildfire | Very low 11 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Mercer County
Federal declarations that designated Mercer County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Mercer County has been named in 5 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4937-KY (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides), declared 1 Sep 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4937-KY | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 1 Sep 2026 | No |
| EM-3633-KY | Emergency | Severe Winter Storm | 24 Jan 2026 | No |
| DR-4864-KY | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 24 Apr 2025 | Yes |
| EM-3626-KY | Emergency | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 3 Apr 2025 | No |
| EM-3624-KY | Emergency | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides | 16 Feb 2025 | 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 Mercer County, Kentucky?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Mercer County as very low, with a score of 41.4 out of 100 (higher than 41% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Mercer County?
The hazards rated highest for Mercer County are strong wind (relatively moderate), tornado (relatively moderate), ice storm (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Mercer County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Mercer County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Mercer County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Mercer County has been named in 5 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4937-KY (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides), declared 1 Sep 2026.
Is Mercer County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Mercer 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 2 weeks in a row.
Every county in Kentucky, ranked · All states · Disasters near me