Natural disaster risk in Whitley County, Kentucky
Kentucky · population 36,626 · FIPS 21235
Overall: relatively low risk
Whitley County has a composite risk score of 62.2 out of 100 — higher than 62% of US counties. It ranks 31 of 120 in Kentucky (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are winter weather, cold wave, lightning.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 12.11% of Whitley 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 5 weeks in a row.
Drought in Whitley 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 62.2 |
| Expected annual loss About $18.0 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 56.7 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 69.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 48 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Whitley County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 85 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 74 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 58 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 58 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 85 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 85 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 71 |
| Hail | Relatively low 70 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 69 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 65 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 63 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 27 |
| Hurricane | Very low 44 |
| Avalanche | Very low 39 |
| Drought | Very low 23 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Whitley County
Federal declarations that designated Whitley County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Whitley 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 |
| 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 | Yes |
| DR-4782-KY | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, and Mudslides | 22 May 2024 | Yes |
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 Whitley County, Kentucky?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Whitley County as relatively low, with a score of 62.2 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 Whitley County?
The hazards rated highest for Whitley County are winter weather (relatively moderate), cold wave (relatively moderate), lightning (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Whitley County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Whitley County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Whitley County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Whitley 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 Whitley County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 12.11% of Whitley 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 5 weeks in a row.
Every county in Kentucky, ranked · All states · Disasters near me