Natural disaster risk in Hays County, Texas
Texas · population 240,800 · FIPS 48209
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Hays County has a composite risk score of 90.6 out of 100 — higher than 90% of US counties. It ranks 22 of 254 in Texas (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hail, tornado, lightning.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 3 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 85.04% of Hays County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 3 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Hays 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 moderate 90.6 |
| Expected annual loss About $108.6 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 91.4 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 15.4 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 57.5 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Hays County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hail | Relatively high 96 |
| Tornado | Relatively high 96 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 94 |
| Winter weather | Relatively high 93 |
| Strong wind | Relatively high 86 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 93 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 92 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 79 |
| Drought | Relatively moderate 77 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 64 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 87 |
| Hurricane | Relatively low 63 |
| Landslide | Very low 43 |
| Earthquake | Very low 25 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Hays County
Federal declarations that designated Hays County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Hays 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 | 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 Hays County, Texas?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Hays County as relatively moderate, with a score of 90.6 out of 100 (higher than 90% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Hays County?
The hazards rated highest for Hays County are hail (relatively high), tornado (relatively high), lightning (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Hays County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Hays County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Hays County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Hays 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 Hays County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 85.04% of Hays County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 3 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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