Natural disaster risk in Newton County, Texas
Texas · population 12,151 · FIPS 48351
Overall: very low risk
Newton County has a composite risk score of 27.2 out of 100 — higher than 27% of US counties. It ranks 177 of 254 in Texas (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, lightning, ice storm.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 3 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 42.32% of Newton 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 Newton 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 low 27.2 |
| Expected annual loss About $5.5 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 15.1 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 90.3 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 5.4 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Newton County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 67 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 63 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 75 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 47 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 45 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 19 |
| Coastal flooding | Very low 38 |
| Drought | Very low 30 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 29 |
| Earthquake | Very low 26 |
| Landslide | Very low 25 |
| Hail | Very low 23 |
| Winter weather | Very low 23 |
| Cold wave | Very low 19 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Newton County
Federal declarations that designated Newton County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Newton 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 | No |
| 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 Newton County, Texas?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Newton County as very low, with a score of 27.2 out of 100 (higher than 27% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Newton County?
The hazards rated highest for Newton County are hurricane (relatively moderate), lightning (relatively moderate), ice storm (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Newton County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Newton County as very low, and coastal flooding risk as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Newton County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Newton 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 Newton County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 42.32% of Newton 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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