Natural disaster risk in Howard County, Maryland
Maryland · population 332,270 · FIPS 24027
Overall: relatively low risk
Howard County has a composite risk score of 72.4 out of 100 — higher than 72% of US counties. It ranks 8 of 24 in Maryland (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are winter weather, strong wind, lightning.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 51 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 7.99% of Howard County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 51 weeks in a row.
Drought in Howard 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 72.4 |
| Expected annual loss About $52.0 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 84.3 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 10.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 92.9 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Howard County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Winter weather | Relatively high 92 |
| Strong wind | Relatively high 88 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 84 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 89 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 78 |
| Drought | Relatively moderate 74 |
| Hurricane | Relatively low 81 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 77 |
| Hail | Relatively low 71 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 59 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 53 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 42 |
| Landslide | Very low 52 |
| Coastal flooding | Very low 20 |
| Wildfire | Very low 15 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Howard County
Federal declarations that designated Howard County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Howard 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 Howard County, Maryland?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Howard County as relatively low, with a score of 72.4 out of 100 (higher than 72% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Howard County?
The hazards rated highest for Howard County are winter weather (relatively high), strong wind (relatively high), lightning (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Howard County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Howard County as relatively moderate, and coastal flooding risk as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Howard County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Howard 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 Howard County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 7.99% of Howard County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 51 weeks in a row.
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