Natural disaster risk in Cowlitz County, Washington
Washington · population 110,649 · FIPS 53015
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Cowlitz County has a composite risk score of 90.3 out of 100 — higher than 90% of US counties. It ranks 12 of 39 in Washington (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are volcanic activity, earthquake, heat wave.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 95.95% of Cowlitz 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 37 weeks in a row.
Drought in Cowlitz 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 90.3 |
| Expected annual loss About $88.2 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 89.6 |
| 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 59.5 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Cowlitz County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Volcanic activity | Relatively high 99 |
| Earthquake | Relatively moderate 97 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 88 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 78 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 83 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively low 51 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 49 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 38 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 31 |
| Wildfire | Very low 61 |
| Avalanche | Very low 23 |
| Lightning | Very low 22 |
| Tornado | Very low 20 |
| Hail | Very low 12 |
| Drought | No rating |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
FEMA disaster declarations for Cowlitz County
Federal declarations that designated Cowlitz County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Cowlitz County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4906-WA (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides), declared 7 Apr 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4906-WA | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 7 Apr 2026 | No |
| DR-4775-WA | Major disaster | Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 28 Apr 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Washington, 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 Cowlitz County, Washington?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Cowlitz County as relatively moderate, with a score of 90.3 out of 100 (higher than 90% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Cowlitz County?
The hazards rated highest for Cowlitz County are volcanic activity (relatively high), earthquake (relatively moderate), heat wave (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Cowlitz County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Cowlitz County as relatively moderate, and coastal flooding risk as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Cowlitz County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Cowlitz County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4906-WA (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides), declared 7 Apr 2026.
Is Cowlitz County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 95.95% of Cowlitz 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 37 weeks in a row.
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