Natural disaster risk in Gladwin County, Michigan

Michigan · population 25,371 · FIPS 26051

Overall: very low risk

Gladwin County has a composite risk score of 40.3 out of 100 — higher than 40% of US counties. It ranks 51 of 83 in Michigan (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are winter weather, strong wind, cold wave.

Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 9 weeks

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 1.04% of Gladwin County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 9 weeks in a row.

Drought in Gladwin 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.
Very low 40.3
Expected annual loss
About $9.2 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Very low 31.9
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively high 79.9
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Relatively moderate 57.9

Risk by hazard

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

HazardRisk rating and score
Winter weather Relatively moderate 82
Strong wind Relatively moderate 68
Cold wave Relatively moderate 67
Lightning Relatively moderate 65
Hail Relatively low 54
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively low 53
Tornado Relatively low 48
Ice storm Relatively low 35
Landslide Very low 40
Wildfire Very low 38
Earthquake Very low 22
Hurricane Very low 22
Heat wave Very low 18
Avalanche Not applicable
Coastal flooding Not applicable
Drought No rating
Tsunami Not applicable
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Gladwin County

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

Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Gladwin County.

All FEMA declarations in Michigan, 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 Gladwin County, Michigan?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Gladwin County as very low, with a score of 40.3 out of 100 (higher than 40% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Gladwin County?

The hazards rated highest for Gladwin County are winter weather (relatively moderate), strong wind (relatively moderate), cold wave (relatively moderate).

What is the flood risk in Gladwin County?

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

Has Gladwin County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Gladwin County.

Is Gladwin County in a drought?

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 1.04% of Gladwin County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 9 weeks in a row.

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