Natural disaster risk in Northampton County, Virginia
Virginia · population 12,215 · FIPS 51131
Overall: relatively low risk
Northampton County has a composite risk score of 44.5 out of 100 — higher than 44% of US counties. It ranks 48 of 133 in Virginia (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, strong wind, hurricane.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 6 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Northampton County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 6 weeks in a row.
Drought in Northampton 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 44.5 |
| Expected annual loss About $9.4 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 32.7 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 96.9 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 97.3 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Northampton County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively high 91 |
| Strong wind | Relatively high 90 |
| Hurricane | Relatively moderate 89 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively low 57 |
| Hail | Relatively low 35 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 27 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 27 |
| Earthquake | Very low 32 |
| Heat wave | Very low 32 |
| Wildfire | Very low 29 |
| Tornado | Very low 22 |
| Lightning | Very low 13 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 12 |
| Landslide | Very low 6 |
| Winter weather | Very low 6 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Northampton County
Federal declarations that designated Northampton County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Northampton County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3631-VA (Severe Winter Storm), declared 23 Jan 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3631-VA | Emergency | Severe Winter Storm | 23 Jan 2026 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Virginia, 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 Northampton County, Virginia?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Northampton County as relatively low, with a score of 44.5 out of 100 (higher than 44% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Northampton County?
The hazards rated highest for Northampton County are drought (relatively high), strong wind (relatively high), hurricane (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Northampton County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Northampton County as very low, and coastal flooding risk as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Northampton County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Northampton County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3631-VA (Severe Winter Storm), declared 23 Jan 2026.
Is Northampton County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Northampton County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 6 weeks in a row.
Every county in Virginia, ranked · All states · Disasters near me