Natural disaster risk in Steele County, North Dakota
North Dakota · population 1,798 · FIPS 38091
Overall: very low risk
Steele County has a composite risk score of 6.6 out of 100 — higher than 6% of US counties. It ranks 39 of 53 in North Dakota (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are strong wind, hail, ice storm.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 11 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 66.81% of Steele County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 11 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Steele 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. |
Very low 6.6 |
| Expected annual loss About $4.3 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 10.3 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 17.8 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 58 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Steele County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 78 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 73 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 70 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 53 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 45 |
| Landslide | Very low 22 |
| Drought | Very low 21 |
| Wildfire | Very low 17 |
| Tornado | Very low 16 |
| Heat wave | Very low 5 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 2 |
| Lightning | Very low 1 |
| Earthquake | Very low 0 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Steele County
Federal declarations that designated Steele County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Steele County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4895-ND (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes), declared 22 Oct 2025.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4895-ND | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | 22 Oct 2025 | No |
| DR-4888-ND | Major disaster | Severe Storm, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds | 11 Sep 2025 | No |
| DR-4760-ND | Major disaster | Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds | 15 Feb 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in North Dakota, 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 Steele County, North Dakota?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Steele County as very low, with a score of 6.6 out of 100 (higher than 6% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Steele County?
The hazards rated highest for Steele County are strong wind (relatively moderate), hail (relatively moderate), ice storm (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Steele County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Steele County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Steele County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Steele County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4895-ND (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes), declared 22 Oct 2025.
Is Steele County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 66.81% of Steele County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 11 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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