Natural disaster risk in Hillsdale County, Michigan
Michigan · population 45,730 · FIPS 26059
Overall: relatively low risk
Hillsdale County has a composite risk score of 50.0 out of 100 — higher than 50% of US counties. It ranks 43 of 83 in Michigan (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are tornado, lightning, hail.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Hillsdale County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 31 weeks in a row.
Drought in Hillsdale 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 50 |
| Expected annual loss About $13.5 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 46.9 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 64.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 68.9 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Hillsdale County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 78 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 75 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 73 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 62 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 61 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 63 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 56 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 38 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 38 |
| Drought | Relatively low 35 |
| Landslide | Very low 60 |
| Earthquake | Very low 50 |
| Hurricane | Very low 33 |
| Wildfire | Very low 18 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Hillsdale County
Federal declarations that designated Hillsdale 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 Hillsdale 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 Hillsdale County, Michigan?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Hillsdale County as relatively low, with a score of 50.0 out of 100 (higher than 50% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Hillsdale County?
The hazards rated highest for Hillsdale County are tornado (relatively moderate), lightning (relatively moderate), hail (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Hillsdale County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Hillsdale County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Hillsdale County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Hillsdale County.
Is Hillsdale County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Hillsdale County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 31 weeks in a row.
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