Natural disaster risk in Snohomish County, Washington
Washington · population 827,611 · FIPS 53061
Overall: relatively high risk
Snohomish County has a composite risk score of 97.9 out of 100 — higher than 97% of US counties. It ranks 3 of 39 in Washington (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are landslide, ice storm, earthquake.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 5 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 3.05% of Snohomish County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 5 weeks in a row. In all, 63.74% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Snohomish 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 high 97.9 |
| Expected annual loss About $409.2 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively high 98.7 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 13.4 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 77.8 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Snohomish County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Landslide | Very high 99 |
| Ice storm | Very high 98 |
| Earthquake | Relatively high 99 |
| Heat wave | Relatively high 96 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively high 95 |
| Winter weather | Relatively high 94 |
| Avalanche | Relatively high 87 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 86 |
| Volcanic activity | Relatively moderate 96 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively moderate 77 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 64 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 38 |
| Wildfire | Very low 61 |
| Hail | Very low 15 |
| Drought | Very low 13 |
| Strong wind | Very low 7 |
| Tsunami | Very low 7 |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Snohomish County
Federal declarations that designated Snohomish County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Snohomish 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 | Yes |
| EM-3629-WA | Emergency | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 12 Dec 2025 | 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 Snohomish County, Washington?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Snohomish County as relatively high, with a score of 97.9 out of 100 (higher than 97% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Snohomish County?
The hazards rated highest for Snohomish County are landslide (very high), ice storm (very high), earthquake (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Snohomish County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Snohomish County as relatively high, and coastal flooding risk as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Snohomish County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Snohomish 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 Snohomish County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 3.05% of Snohomish County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 5 weeks in a row. In all, 63.74% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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