Natural disaster risk in Lewis and Clark County, Montana
Montana · population 70,922 · FIPS 30049
Overall: relatively low risk
Lewis and Clark County has a composite risk score of 71.2 out of 100 — higher than 71% of US counties. It ranks 7 of 56 in Montana (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are winter weather, cold wave, landslide.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Lewis and Clark County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 2 weeks in a row.
Drought in Lewis and Clark 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 71.2 |
| Expected annual loss About $34.8 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 76.5 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 21.2 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 83.3 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Lewis and Clark County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Winter weather | Very high 98 |
| Cold wave | Relatively high 94 |
| Landslide | Relatively moderate 95 |
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 92 |
| Avalanche | Relatively moderate 79 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 66 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 86 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 64 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 21 |
| Heat wave | Very low 35 |
| Drought | Very low 22 |
| Ice storm | Very low 15 |
| Hail | Very low 10 |
| Tornado | Very low 8 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Lewis and Clark County
Federal declarations that designated Lewis and Clark County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Lewis and Clark County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is FM-5507-MT (Horse Gulch Fire), declared 12 Jul 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FM-5507-MT | Fire management | Horse Gulch Fire | 12 Jul 2024 | 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 Lewis and Clark County, Montana?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Lewis and Clark County as relatively low, with a score of 71.2 out of 100 (higher than 71% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Lewis and Clark County?
The hazards rated highest for Lewis and Clark County are winter weather (very high), cold wave (relatively high), landslide (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Lewis and Clark County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Lewis and Clark County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Lewis and Clark County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Lewis and Clark County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is FM-5507-MT (Horse Gulch Fire), declared 12 Jul 2024.
Is Lewis and Clark County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Lewis and Clark County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 2 weeks in a row.
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