Natural disaster risk in Chittenden County, Vermont
Vermont · population 168,162 · FIPS 50007
Overall: relatively low risk
Chittenden County has a composite risk score of 63.9 out of 100 — higher than 63% of US counties. It ranks 1 of 14 in Vermont (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are lightning, winter weather, avalanche.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 1 week
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 10.01% of Chittenden County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 1 week so far.
Drought in Chittenden 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 low 63.9 |
| Expected annual loss About $40.1 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 79.9 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 10.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 94.3 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Chittenden County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively high 82 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 84 |
| Avalanche | Relatively moderate 78 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 78 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 76 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 59 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 76 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 76 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 73 |
| Hurricane | Relatively low 65 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 49 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 29 |
| Wildfire | Very low 25 |
| Hail | Very low 16 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Drought | No rating |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Chittenden County
Federal declarations that designated Chittenden County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Chittenden County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4810-VT (Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides), declared 20 Aug 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4810-VT | Major disaster | Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 20 Aug 2024 | Yes |
| EM-3609-VT | Emergency | Tropical Depression Debby | 8 Aug 2024 | No |
| DR-4770-VT | Major disaster | Severe Winter Storm | 19 Apr 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Vermont, 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 Chittenden County, Vermont?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Chittenden County as relatively low, with a score of 63.9 out of 100 (higher than 63% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Chittenden County?
The hazards rated highest for Chittenden County are lightning (relatively high), winter weather (relatively moderate), avalanche (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Chittenden County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Chittenden County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Chittenden County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Chittenden County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4810-VT (Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides), declared 20 Aug 2024.
Is Chittenden County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 10.01% of Chittenden County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 1 week so far.
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