Natural disaster risk in Carbon County, Montana
Montana · population 10,455 · FIPS 30009
Overall: relatively low risk
Carbon County has a composite risk score of 59.8 out of 100 — higher than 59% of US counties. It ranks 12 of 56 in Montana (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are landslide, wildfire, lightning.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 28 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 20.81% of Carbon County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 28 weeks in a row. In all, 73.9% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Carbon 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 59.8 |
| Expected annual loss About $16.3 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 53.7 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 74.8 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 64.1 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Carbon County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Landslide | Relatively high 98 |
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 93 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 76 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 67 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 72 |
| Avalanche | Relatively low 68 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 62 |
| Hail | Relatively low 46 |
| Drought | Relatively low 37 |
| Earthquake | Very low 53 |
| Volcanic activity | Very low 26 |
| Heat wave | Very low 20 |
| Tornado | Very low 17 |
| Strong wind | Very low 11 |
| Ice storm | Very low 10 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Carbon County
Federal declarations that designated Carbon County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Carbon 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 Carbon County, Montana?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Carbon County as relatively low, with a score of 59.8 out of 100 (higher than 59% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Carbon County?
The hazards rated highest for Carbon County are landslide (relatively high), wildfire (relatively moderate), lightning (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Carbon County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Carbon County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Carbon County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Carbon 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 Carbon County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 20.81% of Carbon County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 28 weeks in a row. In all, 73.9% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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