Natural disaster risk in Prince George's County, Maryland

Maryland · population 965,886 · FIPS 24033

Overall: relatively moderate risk

Prince George's County has a composite risk score of 93.2 out of 100 — higher than 93% of US counties. It ranks 3 of 24 in Maryland (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are winter weather, lightning, heat wave.

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 Prince George's 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 Prince George's 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 moderate 93.2
Expected annual loss
About $121.8 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Relatively moderate 92.5
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively moderate 49.4
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Relatively low 29.8

Risk by hazard

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

HazardRisk rating and score
Winter weather Very high 99
Lightning Very high 98
Heat wave Relatively high 97
Strong wind Relatively high 95
Tornado Relatively high 95
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively high 94
Earthquake Relatively moderate 93
Hurricane Relatively moderate 92
Landslide Relatively moderate 91
Hail Relatively moderate 90
Drought Relatively moderate 83
Ice storm Relatively moderate 80
Cold wave Relatively moderate 77
Coastal flooding Relatively low 49
Wildfire Very low 42
Avalanche Not applicable
Tsunami Not applicable
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Prince George's County

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

Yes. Prince George's 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.

DeclarationKindIncidentDeclaredIndividual 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 Prince George's County, Maryland?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Prince George's County as relatively moderate, with a score of 93.2 out of 100 (higher than 93% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Prince George's County?

The hazards rated highest for Prince George's County are winter weather (very high), lightning (very high), heat wave (relatively high).

What is the flood risk in Prince George's County?

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

Has Prince George's County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Yes. Prince George's 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 Prince George's County in a drought?

No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Prince George's 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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