Natural disaster risk in Gallatin County, Montana
Montana · population 118,825 · FIPS 30031
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Gallatin County has a composite risk score of 81.0 out of 100 — higher than 81% of US counties. It ranks 4 of 56 in Montana (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are winter weather, avalanche, cold wave.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 27.44% of Gallatin County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.
Drought in Gallatin 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 moderate 81 |
| Expected annual loss About $65.8 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 87.1 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 10.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 71.7 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Gallatin County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Winter weather | Very high 99 |
| Avalanche | Very high 96 |
| Cold wave | Relatively high 93 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 92 |
| Landslide | Relatively moderate 96 |
| Earthquake | Relatively moderate 94 |
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 84 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 64 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 39 |
| Drought | Relatively low 37 |
| Heat wave | Very low 28 |
| Ice storm | Very low 24 |
| Volcanic activity | Very low 20 |
| Tornado | Very low 16 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Gallatin County
Federal declarations that designated Gallatin 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 Gallatin County.
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 Gallatin County, Montana?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Gallatin County as relatively moderate, with a score of 81.0 out of 100 (higher than 81% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Gallatin County?
The hazards rated highest for Gallatin County are winter weather (very high), avalanche (very high), cold wave (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Gallatin County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Gallatin County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Gallatin County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Gallatin County.
Is Gallatin County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 27.44% of Gallatin County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.
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