Natural disaster risk in Beaufort County, South Carolina
South Carolina · population 186,606 · FIPS 45013
Overall: relatively high risk
Beaufort County has a composite risk score of 97.1 out of 100 — higher than 97% of US counties. It ranks 3 of 46 in South Carolina (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, lightning, coastal flooding.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 48 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 23.94% of Beaufort County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 48 weeks in a row.
Drought in Beaufort 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 high 97.1 |
| Expected annual loss About $255.6 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively high 96.8 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 44.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 66.7 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Beaufort County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | Very high 99 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 96 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively high 94 |
| Ice storm | Relatively high 88 |
| Strong wind | Relatively high 86 |
| Earthquake | Relatively moderate 93 |
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 90 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 87 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 81 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 80 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 73 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 69 |
| Hail | Relatively low 68 |
| Drought | Relatively low 43 |
| Landslide | Very low 25 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Beaufort County
Federal declarations that designated Beaufort County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Beaufort County has been named in 5 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3632-SC (Severe Winter Storm), declared 23 Jan 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3632-SC | Emergency | Severe Winter Storm | 23 Jan 2026 | No |
| DR-4835-SC | Major disaster | Tropical Storm Debby | 29 Sep 2024 | No |
| DR-4829-SC | Major disaster | Hurricane Helene | 29 Sep 2024 | Yes |
| EM-3619-SC | Emergency | Hurricane Helene | 26 Sep 2024 | No |
| EM-3606-SC | Emergency | Hurricane Debby | 5 Aug 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in South Carolina, 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 Beaufort County, South Carolina?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Beaufort County as relatively high, with a score of 97.1 out of 100 (higher than 97% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Beaufort County?
The hazards rated highest for Beaufort County are hurricane (very high), lightning (relatively high), coastal flooding (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Beaufort County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Beaufort County as relatively moderate, and coastal flooding risk as relatively high. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Beaufort County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Beaufort County has been named in 5 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3632-SC (Severe Winter Storm), declared 23 Jan 2026.
Is Beaufort County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 23.94% of Beaufort County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 48 weeks in a row.
Every county in South Carolina, ranked · All states · Disasters near me