Natural disaster risk in Harris County, Texas
Texas · population 4,726,200 · FIPS 48201
Overall: very high risk
Harris County has a composite risk score of 99.9 out of 100 — among the highest 1% of US counties. It ranks 1 of 254 in Texas (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, tornado, cold wave.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 1 week
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 3.92% of Harris County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 1 week so far. In all, 82.89% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Harris 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 high 99.9 |
| Expected annual loss About $2.2 billion a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very high 99.9 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 67.9 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 17.9 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Harris County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | Very high 100 |
| Tornado | Very high 100 |
| Cold wave | Very high 99 |
| Heat wave | Very high 99 |
| Ice storm | Very high 99 |
| Lightning | Very high 99 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very high 99 |
| Strong wind | Very high 99 |
| Winter weather | Relatively high 88 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively high 83 |
| Earthquake | Relatively moderate 92 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Landslide | Relatively moderate 88 |
| Drought | Relatively moderate 75 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 85 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Harris County
Federal declarations that designated Harris County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Harris County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4798-TX (Hurricane Beryl), declared 9 Jul 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4798-TX | Major disaster | Hurricane Beryl | 9 Jul 2024 | Yes |
| 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 Harris County, Texas?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Harris County as very high, with a score of 99.9 out of 100 (among the highest 1% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Harris County?
The hazards rated highest for Harris County are hurricane (very high), tornado (very high), cold wave (very high).
What is the flood risk in Harris County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Harris County as very high, and coastal flooding risk as relatively high. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Harris County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Harris County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4798-TX (Hurricane Beryl), declared 9 Jul 2024.
Is Harris County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 3.92% of Harris County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 1 week so far. In all, 82.89% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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