Natural disaster risk in Macon County, Missouri

Missouri · population 15,152 · FIPS 29121

Overall: very low risk

Macon County has a composite risk score of 36.8 out of 100 — higher than 36% of US counties. It ranks 74 of 115 in Missouri (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are lightning, tornado, landslide.

Drought now: No: no drought or dryness

No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Macon County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 3 weeks in a row.

Drought in Macon 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

MeasureRating and score
Overall risk
Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience.
Very low 36.8
Expected annual loss
About $10.6 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Very low 37.1
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively moderate 51.4
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Relatively moderate 46.3

Risk by hazard

FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Macon County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.

HazardRisk rating and score
Lightning Relatively moderate 75
Tornado Relatively moderate 66
Landslide Relatively low 81
Heat wave Relatively low 62
Hail Relatively low 61
Drought Relatively low 60
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively low 47
Strong wind Relatively low 41
Cold wave Relatively low 31
Winter weather Relatively low 24
Earthquake Very low 54
Wildfire Very low 52
Ice storm Very low 24
Hurricane Very low 20
Avalanche Not applicable
Coastal flooding Not applicable
Tsunami Not applicable
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Macon County

Federal declarations that designated Macon County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.

Yes. Macon County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4929-MO (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 3 Aug 2026.

DeclarationKindIncidentDeclaredIndividual assistance here
DR-4929-MO Major disaster Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding 3 Aug 2026 No

All FEMA declarations in Missouri, 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 Macon County, Missouri?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Macon County as very low, with a score of 36.8 out of 100 (higher than 36% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Macon County?

The hazards rated highest for Macon County are lightning (relatively moderate), tornado (relatively moderate), landslide (relatively low).

What is the flood risk in Macon County?

FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Macon County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.

Has Macon County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Yes. Macon County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4929-MO (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 3 Aug 2026.

Is Macon County in a drought?

No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Macon 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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