Natural disaster risk in Cooke County, Texas
Texas · population 41,622 · FIPS 48097
Overall: relatively low risk
Cooke County has a composite risk score of 73.3 out of 100 — higher than 73% of US counties. It ranks 72 of 254 in Texas (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, tornado, ice storm.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 10 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 74.9% of Cooke County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 10 weeks in a row.
Drought in Cooke 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 73.3 |
| Expected annual loss About $28.5 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 71.1 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 53.2 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively low 25.9 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Cooke County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively high 97 |
| Tornado | Relatively high 91 |
| Ice storm | Relatively high 86 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 92 |
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 69 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 77 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 66 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 63 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 39 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 37 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 31 |
| Earthquake | Very low 54 |
| Hurricane | Very low 48 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Cooke County
Federal declarations that designated Cooke County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Cooke County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4781-TX (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 17 May 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4781-TX | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 17 May 2024 | Yes |
All FEMA declarations in Texas, 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 Cooke County, Texas?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Cooke County as relatively low, with a score of 73.3 out of 100 (higher than 73% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Cooke County?
The hazards rated highest for Cooke County are drought (relatively high), tornado (relatively high), ice storm (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Cooke County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Cooke County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Cooke County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Cooke County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4781-TX (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 17 May 2024.
Is Cooke County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 74.9% of Cooke County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 10 weeks in a row.
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