Natural disaster risk in Walthall County, Mississippi
Mississippi · population 13,882 · FIPS 28147
Overall: very low risk
Walthall County has a composite risk score of 25.5 out of 100 — higher than 25% of US counties. It ranks 66 of 82 in Mississippi (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are strong wind, hurricane, wildfire.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 9 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Walthall County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 9 weeks in a row.
Drought in Walthall 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 25.5 |
| Expected annual loss About $7.0 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 22.3 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 62.8 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 16.9 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Walthall County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 81 |
| Hurricane | Relatively low 79 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 66 |
| Drought | Relatively low 51 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 51 |
| Hail | Relatively low 43 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 37 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 36 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 36 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 28 |
| Earthquake | Very low 34 |
| Landslide | Very low 31 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 26 |
| Winter weather | Very low 19 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Walthall County
Federal declarations that designated Walthall County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Walthall County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4899-MS (Severe Winter Storm), declared 6 Feb 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4899-MS | Major disaster | Severe Winter Storm | 6 Feb 2026 | No |
| EM-3640-MS | Emergency | Severe Winter Storm | 24 Jan 2026 | No |
| DR-4874-MS | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 21 May 2025 | Yes |
All FEMA declarations in Mississippi, 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 Walthall County, Mississippi?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Walthall County as very low, with a score of 25.5 out of 100 (higher than 25% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Walthall County?
The hazards rated highest for Walthall County are strong wind (relatively moderate), hurricane (relatively low), wildfire (relatively low).
What is the flood risk in Walthall County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Walthall County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Walthall County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Walthall County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4899-MS (Severe Winter Storm), declared 6 Feb 2026.
Is Walthall County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Walthall 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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