Natural disaster risk in Nueces County, Texas
Texas · population 352,623 · FIPS 48355
Overall: relatively high risk
Nueces County has a composite risk score of 96.6 out of 100 — higher than 96% of US counties. It ranks 11 of 254 in Texas (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are cold wave, hurricane, heat wave.
Drought now: Yes: D3 Extreme Drought, 6 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 1.13% of Nueces County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 6 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Nueces 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 high 96.6 |
| Expected annual loss About $186.1 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively high 95.3 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 76.8 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 86.7 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Nueces County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Cold wave | Very high 98 |
| Hurricane | Very high 98 |
| Heat wave | Relatively high 98 |
| Drought | Relatively high 97 |
| Tornado | Relatively high 96 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 94 |
| Strong wind | Relatively high 94 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively high 93 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 81 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively moderate 72 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 73 |
| Earthquake | Very low 46 |
| Landslide | Very low 45 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Nueces County
Federal declarations that designated Nueces County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Nueces County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration 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 |
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 Nueces County, Texas?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Nueces County as relatively high, with a score of 96.6 out of 100 (higher than 96% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Nueces County?
The hazards rated highest for Nueces County are cold wave (very high), hurricane (very high), heat wave (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Nueces County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Nueces County as relatively high, and coastal flooding risk as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Nueces County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Nueces County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4798-TX (Hurricane Beryl), declared 9 Jul 2024.
Is Nueces County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 1.13% of Nueces County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 6 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Every county in Texas, ranked · All states · Disasters near me