Natural disaster risk in Lake County, Ohio
Ohio · population 232,492 · FIPS 39085
Overall: relatively low risk
Lake County has a composite risk score of 77.4 out of 100 — higher than 77% of US counties. It ranks 16 of 88 in Ohio (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are winter weather, strong wind, inland (riverine) flooding.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Lake 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 3 weeks in a row.
Drought in Lake 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 77.4 |
| Expected annual loss About $41.9 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 80.8 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 27.7 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 99.5 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Lake County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Winter weather | Relatively high 95 |
| Strong wind | Relatively high 85 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 86 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 80 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 77 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 75 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 62 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 67 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 61 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 60 |
| Hurricane | Very low 49 |
| Coastal flooding | Very low 38 |
| Wildfire | Very low 28 |
| Landslide | Very low 19 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Drought | No rating |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Lake County
Federal declarations that designated Lake 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 Lake County.
All FEMA declarations in Ohio, 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 Lake County, Ohio?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Lake County as relatively low, with a score of 77.4 out of 100 (higher than 77% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Lake County?
The hazards rated highest for Lake County are winter weather (relatively high), strong wind (relatively high), inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Lake County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Lake 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 Lake County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Lake County.
Is Lake County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Lake 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 3 weeks in a row.
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