Natural disaster risk in Bristol County, Rhode Island
Rhode Island · population 50,793 · FIPS 44001
Overall: very low risk
Bristol County has a composite risk score of 19.4 out of 100 — higher than 19% of US counties. It ranks 5 of 5 in Rhode Island (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are coastal flooding, lightning, hurricane.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Bristol County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 3 weeks in a row.
Drought in Bristol 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 19.4 |
| Expected annual loss About $9.4 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 32.4 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 12.8 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 96.4 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Bristol County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | Relatively moderate 65 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 63 |
| Hurricane | Relatively low 74 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 36 |
| Earthquake | Very low 51 |
| Heat wave | Very low 28 |
| Ice storm | Very low 21 |
| Winter weather | Very low 19 |
| Drought | Very low 16 |
| Strong wind | Very low 14 |
| Cold wave | Very low 13 |
| Tornado | Very low 12 |
| Landslide | Very low 4 |
| Wildfire | Very low 3 |
| Hail | Very low 1 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Bristol County
Federal declarations that designated Bristol 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 Bristol County.
All FEMA declarations in Rhode Island, 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 Bristol County, Rhode Island?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Bristol County as very low, with a score of 19.4 out of 100 (higher than 19% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Bristol County?
The hazards rated highest for Bristol County are coastal flooding (relatively moderate), lightning (relatively moderate), hurricane (relatively low).
What is the flood risk in Bristol County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Bristol County as relatively low, and coastal flooding risk as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Bristol County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Bristol County.
Is Bristol County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Bristol County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 3 weeks in a row.
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