Natural disaster risk in Wadena County, Minnesota
Minnesota · population 14,054 · FIPS 27159
Overall: very low risk
Wadena County has a composite risk score of 12.9 out of 100 — higher than 12% of US counties. It ranks 75 of 87 in Minnesota (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are winter weather, wildfire, drought.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 19 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 39.49% of Wadena County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 19 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Wadena 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 12.9 |
| Expected annual loss About $5.1 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 13.6 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 50.5 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 81.8 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Wadena County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 63 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 65 |
| Drought | Relatively low 59 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 39 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 36 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 30 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 30 |
| Landslide | Very low 37 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 27 |
| Hail | Very low 25 |
| Heat wave | Very low 18 |
| Earthquake | Very low 4 |
| Ice storm | Very low 2 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Wadena County
Federal declarations that designated Wadena 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 Wadena 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 Wadena County, Minnesota?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Wadena County as very low, with a score of 12.9 out of 100 (higher than 12% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Wadena County?
The hazards rated highest for Wadena County are winter weather (relatively moderate), wildfire (relatively low), drought (relatively low).
What is the flood risk in Wadena County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Wadena County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Wadena County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Wadena County.
Is Wadena County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 39.49% of Wadena County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 19 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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