Natural disaster risk in Grimes County, Texas

Texas · population 29,203 · FIPS 48185

Overall: relatively low risk

Grimes County has a composite risk score of 57.0 out of 100 — higher than 57% of US counties. It ranks 120 of 254 in Texas (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, hurricane, cold wave.

Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 8 weeks

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 78.34% of Grimes County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 8 weeks in a row.

Drought in Grimes 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

MeasureRating and score
Overall risk
Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience.
Relatively low 57
Expected annual loss
About $14.4 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Very low 49.3
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively high 74.1
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Relatively low 24.5

Risk by hazard

FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Grimes County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.

HazardRisk rating and score
Drought Relatively high 93
Hurricane Relatively moderate 84
Cold wave Relatively moderate 81
Lightning Relatively moderate 77
Tornado Relatively moderate 75
Heat wave Relatively low 58
Ice storm Relatively low 57
Strong wind Relatively low 38
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively low 35
Wildfire Very low 59
Hail Very low 30
Earthquake Very low 19
Winter weather Very low 13
Landslide Very low 12
Avalanche Not applicable
Coastal flooding Not applicable
Tsunami Not applicable
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Grimes County

Federal declarations that designated Grimes County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.

Yes. Grimes County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4935-TX (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 1 Sep 2026.

DeclarationKindIncidentDeclaredIndividual assistance here
DR-4935-TX Major disaster Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding 1 Sep 2026 No
DR-4798-TX Major disaster Hurricane Beryl 9 Jul 2024 No
DR-4781-TX Major disaster Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding 17 May 2024 No

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 Grimes County, Texas?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Grimes County as relatively low, with a score of 57.0 out of 100 (higher than 57% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Grimes County?

The hazards rated highest for Grimes County are drought (relatively high), hurricane (relatively moderate), cold wave (relatively moderate).

What is the flood risk in Grimes County?

FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Grimes County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.

Has Grimes County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Yes. Grimes County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4935-TX (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 1 Sep 2026.

Is Grimes County in a drought?

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 78.34% of Grimes County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 8 weeks in a row.

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