Natural disaster risk in Lake County, Minnesota
Minnesota · population 10,884 · FIPS 27075
Overall: very low risk
Lake County has a composite risk score of 33.9 out of 100 — higher than 33% of US counties. It ranks 52 of 87 in Minnesota (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are strong wind, winter weather, cold wave.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 13 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 47.57% of Lake County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 13 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Lake 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. |
Very low 33.9 |
| Expected annual loss About $10.8 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 38.1 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 43.5 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 98.5 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Lake County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Strong wind | Relatively high 89 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 83 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 70 |
| Wildfire | Very low 62 |
| Landslide | Very low 34 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 29 |
| Ice storm | Very low 23 |
| Heat wave | Very low 21 |
| Hail | Very low 20 |
| Drought | Very low 18 |
| Coastal flooding | Very low 13 |
| Tornado | Very low 10 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Earthquake | No rating |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Lake County
Federal declarations that designated Lake County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Lake County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4797-MN (Severe Storms and Flooding), declared 28 Jun 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4797-MN | Major disaster | Severe Storms and Flooding | 28 Jun 2024 | Yes |
All FEMA declarations in Minnesota, 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 Lake County, Minnesota?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Lake County as very low, with a score of 33.9 out of 100 (higher than 33% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Lake County?
The hazards rated highest for Lake County are strong wind (relatively high), winter weather (relatively moderate), cold wave (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Lake County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Lake County as very low, and coastal flooding risk as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Lake County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Lake County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4797-MN (Severe Storms and Flooding), declared 28 Jun 2024.
Is Lake County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 47.57% of Lake County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 13 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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