Natural disaster risk in Ulster County, New York
New York · population 181,692 · FIPS 36111
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Ulster County has a composite risk score of 87.7 out of 100 — higher than 87% of US counties. It ranks 15 of 62 in New York (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are strong wind, lightning, landslide.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Ulster County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 11 weeks in a row.
Drought in Ulster 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 87.7 |
| Expected annual loss About $67.2 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 87.3 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 45.2 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 80.7 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Ulster County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Strong wind | Relatively high 91 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 84 |
| Landslide | Relatively moderate 94 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 87 |
| Hurricane | Relatively moderate 86 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 81 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 72 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 68 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 80 |
| Avalanche | Relatively low 71 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 66 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively low 53 |
| Drought | Relatively low 49 |
| Wildfire | Very low 52 |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Ulster County
Federal declarations that designated Ulster 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 Ulster County.
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 Ulster County, New York?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Ulster County as relatively moderate, with a score of 87.7 out of 100 (higher than 87% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Ulster County?
The hazards rated highest for Ulster County are strong wind (relatively high), lightning (relatively high), landslide (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Ulster County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Ulster County as relatively moderate, and coastal flooding risk as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Ulster County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Ulster County.
Is Ulster County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Ulster County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 11 weeks in a row.
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