Natural disaster risk in Wharton County, Texas
Texas · population 41,544 · FIPS 48481
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Wharton County has a composite risk score of 83.0 out of 100 — higher than 83% of US counties. It ranks 41 of 254 in Texas (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, cold wave, drought.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 8 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 85.85% of Wharton County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 8 weeks in a row.
Drought in Wharton 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 83 |
| Expected annual loss About $35.0 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 76.7 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 83.5 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 41 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Wharton County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively high 94 |
| Cold wave | Relatively high 92 |
| Drought | Relatively high 91 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 75 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 72 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 69 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 78 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 69 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 56 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 45 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 36 |
| Wildfire | Very low 52 |
| Earthquake | Very low 26 |
| Landslide | Very low 11 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | No rating |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Wharton County
Federal declarations that designated Wharton County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Wharton 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 | 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 Wharton County, Texas?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Wharton County as relatively moderate, with a score of 83.0 out of 100 (higher than 83% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Wharton County?
The hazards rated highest for Wharton County are hurricane (relatively high), cold wave (relatively high), drought (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Wharton County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Wharton County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Wharton County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Wharton 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 Wharton County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 85.85% of Wharton 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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