Natural disaster risk in Klickitat County, Washington

Washington · population 22,707 · FIPS 53039

Overall: relatively low risk

Klickitat County has a composite risk score of 73.9 out of 100 — higher than 73% of US counties. It ranks 24 of 39 in Washington (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are wildfire, ice storm, winter weather.

Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)

No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Klickitat 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 Klickitat 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 73.9
Expected annual loss
About $26.1 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Relatively low 68.9
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively high 67
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Relatively low 33

Risk by hazard

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

HazardRisk rating and score
Wildfire Relatively high 98
Ice storm Relatively high 82
Winter weather Relatively moderate 64
Volcanic activity Relatively low 92
Landslide Relatively low 80
Earthquake Relatively low 78
Avalanche Relatively low 73
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively low 66
Lightning Relatively low 55
Cold wave Relatively low 49
Heat wave Relatively low 40
Strong wind Relatively low 20
Hail Very low 23
Drought Very low 17
Tornado Very low 6
Coastal flooding Not applicable
Hurricane Not applicable
Tsunami Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Klickitat County

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

Yes. Klickitat County has been named in 3 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.

DeclarationKindIncidentDeclaredIndividual assistance here
DR-4906-WA Major disaster Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides 7 Apr 2026 No
FM-5601-WA Fire management Burdoin Fire 19 Jul 2025 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 Klickitat County, Washington?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Klickitat County as relatively low, with a score of 73.9 out of 100 (higher than 73% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Klickitat County?

The hazards rated highest for Klickitat County are wildfire (relatively high), ice storm (relatively high), winter weather (relatively moderate).

What is the flood risk in Klickitat County?

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

Has Klickitat County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Yes. Klickitat County has been named in 3 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 Klickitat County in a drought?

No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Klickitat 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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