Natural disaster risk in Cecil County, Maryland
Maryland · population 103,701 · FIPS 24015
Overall: relatively low risk
Cecil County has a composite risk score of 58.6 out of 100 — higher than 58% of US counties. It ranks 14 of 24 in Maryland (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, winter weather, strong wind.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 5.76% of Cecil 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 at least 54 weeks in a row.
Drought in Cecil 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 58.6 |
| Expected annual loss About $23.2 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 65.5 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 21.9 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 60.9 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Cecil County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively high 92 |
| Winter weather | Relatively high 87 |
| Strong wind | Relatively high 85 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 66 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 60 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 78 |
| Hurricane | Relatively low 78 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 70 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 60 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively low 56 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 52 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 48 |
| Landslide | Very low 57 |
| Hail | Very low 32 |
| Wildfire | Very low 25 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Cecil County
Federal declarations that designated Cecil County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Cecil County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3634-MD (Severe Winter Storm), declared 24 Jan 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3634-MD | Emergency | Severe Winter Storm | 24 Jan 2026 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Maryland, 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 Cecil County, Maryland?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Cecil County as relatively low, with a score of 58.6 out of 100 (higher than 58% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Cecil County?
The hazards rated highest for Cecil County are drought (relatively high), winter weather (relatively high), strong wind (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Cecil County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Cecil County as relatively low, and coastal flooding risk as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Cecil County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Cecil County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3634-MD (Severe Winter Storm), declared 24 Jan 2026.
Is Cecil County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 5.76% of Cecil 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 at least 54 weeks in a row.
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