Natural disaster risk in Somerset County, Maine

Maine · population 50,421 · FIPS 23025

Overall: relatively low risk

Somerset County has a composite risk score of 67.9 out of 100 — higher than 67% of US counties. It ranks 6 of 16 in Maine (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are winter weather, cold wave, ice storm.

Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 7 weeks

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 21.3% of Somerset County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 7 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).

Drought in Somerset 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

MeasureRating and score
Overall risk
Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience.
Relatively low 67.9
Expected annual loss
About $26.3 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Relatively low 69.1
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively moderate 41.1
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Relatively moderate 53.9

Risk by hazard

FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Somerset County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.

HazardRisk rating and score
Winter weather Relatively high 94
Cold wave Relatively high 91
Ice storm Relatively high 90
Lightning Relatively high 85
Hurricane Relatively moderate 85
Drought Relatively moderate 78
Landslide Relatively low 76
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively low 61
Strong wind Relatively low 47
Hail Relatively low 34
Avalanche Very low 60
Earthquake Very low 59
Wildfire Very low 22
Heat wave Very low 20
Tornado Very low 16
Coastal flooding Not applicable
Tsunami Not applicable
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Somerset County

Federal declarations that designated Somerset County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.

Yes. Somerset County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4754-ME (Severe Storm and Flooding), declared 30 Jan 2024.

DeclarationKindIncidentDeclaredIndividual assistance here
DR-4754-ME Major disaster Severe Storm and Flooding 30 Jan 2024 Yes

All FEMA declarations in Maine, 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 Somerset County, Maine?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Somerset 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 Somerset County?

The hazards rated highest for Somerset County are winter weather (relatively high), cold wave (relatively high), ice storm (relatively high).

What is the flood risk in Somerset County?

FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Somerset County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.

Has Somerset County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Yes. Somerset County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4754-ME (Severe Storm and Flooding), declared 30 Jan 2024.

Is Somerset County in a drought?

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 21.3% of Somerset County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 7 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).

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