Natural disaster risk in Big Horn County, Montana
Montana · population 13,034 · FIPS 30003
Overall: relatively low risk
Big Horn County has a composite risk score of 57.2 out of 100 — higher than 57% of US counties. It ranks 13 of 56 in Montana (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are strong wind, winter weather, lightning.
Drought now: Yes: D3 Extreme Drought, 6 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 0.01% of Big Horn County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 6 weeks in a row. In all, 89.37% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Big Horn 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 57.2 |
| Expected annual loss About $11.2 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 39.8 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 94.1 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 4.8 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Big Horn County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Strong wind | Relatively high 95 |
| Winter weather | Relatively high 88 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 83 |
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 94 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 76 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 73 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 55 |
| Hail | Relatively low 51 |
| Drought | Relatively low 38 |
| Earthquake | Very low 39 |
| Avalanche | Very low 36 |
| Heat wave | Very low 34 |
| Ice storm | Very low 12 |
| Tornado | Very low 12 |
| Volcanic activity | Very low 9 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Big Horn County
Federal declarations that designated Big Horn County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Big Horn County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4902-MT (Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds), declared 7 Apr 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4902-MT | Major disaster | Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds | 7 Apr 2026 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Montana, 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 Big Horn County, Montana?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Big Horn County as relatively low, with a score of 57.2 out of 100 (higher than 57% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Big Horn County?
The hazards rated highest for Big Horn County are strong wind (relatively high), winter weather (relatively high), lightning (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Big Horn County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Big Horn County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Big Horn County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Big Horn County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4902-MT (Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds), declared 7 Apr 2026.
Is Big Horn County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 0.01% of Big Horn County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 6 weeks in a row. In all, 89.37% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Every county in Montana, ranked · All states · Disasters near me