Natural disaster risk in Rockingham County, Virginia

Virginia · population 83,694 · FIPS 51165

Overall: relatively low risk

Rockingham County has a composite risk score of 75.0 out of 100 — higher than 75% of US counties. It ranks 11 of 133 in Virginia (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are inland (riverine) flooding, drought, hurricane.

Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)

No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 73.03% of Rockingham County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.

Drought in Rockingham 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

MeasureRating and score
Overall risk
Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience.
Relatively low 75
Expected annual loss
About $34.9 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Relatively low 76.6
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively low 36.2
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Relatively moderate 56.8

Risk by hazard

FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Rockingham County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.

HazardRisk rating and score
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively moderate 84
Drought Relatively moderate 82
Hurricane Relatively moderate 82
Lightning Relatively moderate 77
Strong wind Relatively moderate 72
Winter weather Relatively moderate 62
Landslide Relatively low 86
Heat wave Relatively low 72
Earthquake Relatively low 67
Wildfire Relatively low 64
Hail Relatively low 58
Cold wave Relatively low 41
Ice storm Relatively low 32
Tornado Relatively low 29
Avalanche Very low 64
Coastal flooding Not applicable
Tsunami Not applicable
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Rockingham County

Federal declarations that designated Rockingham County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.

Yes. Rockingham County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3631-VA (Severe Winter Storm), declared 23 Jan 2026.

DeclarationKindIncidentDeclaredIndividual assistance here
EM-3631-VA Emergency Severe Winter Storm 23 Jan 2026 No
DR-4863-VA Major disaster Severe Winter Storms and Flooding 4 Apr 2025 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 Rockingham County, Virginia?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Rockingham County as relatively low, with a score of 75.0 out of 100 (higher than 75% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Rockingham County?

The hazards rated highest for Rockingham County are inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate), drought (relatively moderate), hurricane (relatively moderate).

What is the flood risk in Rockingham County?

FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Rockingham County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.

Has Rockingham County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Yes. Rockingham County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3631-VA (Severe Winter Storm), declared 23 Jan 2026.

Is Rockingham County in a drought?

No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 73.03% of Rockingham County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.

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