Natural disaster risk in Pennington County, Minnesota
Minnesota · population 13,900 · FIPS 27113
Overall: relatively low risk
Pennington County has a composite risk score of 47.0 out of 100 — higher than 47% of US counties. It ranks 34 of 87 in Minnesota (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are winter weather, drought, wildfire.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Pennington County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 3 weeks in a row.
Drought in Pennington 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 47 |
| Expected annual loss About $17.8 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 56.5 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 19.3 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 96.8 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Pennington County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 76 |
| Drought | Relatively moderate 70 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 82 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 67 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 50 |
| Hail | Relatively low 41 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 40 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 26 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 20 |
| Landslide | Very low 18 |
| Heat wave | Very low 14 |
| Lightning | Very low 14 |
| Earthquake | Very low 2 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Pennington County
Federal declarations that designated Pennington 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 Pennington County.
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 Pennington County, Minnesota?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Pennington County as relatively low, with a score of 47.0 out of 100 (higher than 47% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Pennington County?
The hazards rated highest for Pennington County are winter weather (relatively moderate), drought (relatively moderate), wildfire (relatively low).
What is the flood risk in Pennington County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Pennington County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Pennington County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Pennington County.
Is Pennington County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Pennington County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 3 weeks in a row.
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