Natural disaster risk in Jefferson County, New York
New York · population 116,438 · FIPS 36045
Overall: relatively low risk
Jefferson County has a composite risk score of 64.0 out of 100 — higher than 64% of US counties. It ranks 38 of 62 in New York (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are winter weather, ice storm, strong wind.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 6.75% of Jefferson 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 1 week so far.
Drought in Jefferson 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 64 |
| Expected annual loss About $25.7 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 68.6 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 28.3 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 62.9 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Jefferson County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Winter weather | Relatively high 93 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 81 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 78 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 77 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 71 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 64 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 46 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 27 |
| Hurricane | Very low 53 |
| Landslide | Very low 47 |
| Heat wave | Very low 33 |
| Wildfire | Very low 27 |
| Coastal flooding | Very low 16 |
| Hail | Very low 7 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Drought | No rating |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Jefferson County
Federal declarations that designated Jefferson County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Jefferson County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4825-NY (Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby), declared 24 Sep 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4825-NY | Major disaster | Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby | 24 Sep 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in New York, 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 Jefferson County, New York?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Jefferson County as relatively low, with a score of 64.0 out of 100 (higher than 64% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Jefferson County?
The hazards rated highest for Jefferson County are winter weather (relatively high), ice storm (relatively moderate), strong wind (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Jefferson County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Jefferson County as relatively moderate, and coastal flooding risk as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Jefferson County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Jefferson County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4825-NY (Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby), declared 24 Sep 2024.
Is Jefferson County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 6.75% of Jefferson 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 1 week so far.
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