Natural disaster risk in Spokane County, Washington
Washington · population 538,806 · FIPS 53063
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Spokane County has a composite risk score of 90.0 out of 100 — higher than 90% of US counties. It ranks 13 of 39 in Washington (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are ice storm, cold wave, strong wind.
Drought now: Yes: D3 Extreme Drought, 7 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 45.96% of Spokane County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 7 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Spokane 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 |
| Expected annual loss About $98.8 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 90.6 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 21 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 75.8 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Spokane County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Ice storm | Very high 97 |
| Cold wave | Relatively high 97 |
| Strong wind | Relatively high 91 |
| Winter weather | Relatively high 87 |
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 96 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 94 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Avalanche | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 57 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 85 |
| Hail | Relatively low 63 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 42 |
| Landslide | Very low 56 |
| Drought | Very low 16 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Spokane County
Federal declarations that designated Spokane County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Spokane County has been named in 6 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3650-WA (Wildfires), declared 3 Aug 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3650-WA | Emergency | Wildfires | 3 Aug 2026 | No |
| FM-5659-WA | Fire management | Autumn Lane Fire | 2 Aug 2026 | No |
| FM-5658-WA | Fire management | Fairview Fire | 2 Aug 2026 | No |
| FM-5656-WA | Fire management | Old Trails Fire | 1 Aug 2026 | No |
| FM-5638-WA | Fire management | Upriver Fire | 16 Jun 2026 | No |
| DR-4759-WA | Major disaster | Wildfires | 15 Feb 2024 | Yes |
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 Spokane County, Washington?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Spokane County as relatively moderate, with a score of 90.0 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 Spokane County?
The hazards rated highest for Spokane County are ice storm (very high), cold wave (relatively high), strong wind (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Spokane County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Spokane County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Spokane County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Spokane County has been named in 6 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3650-WA (Wildfires), declared 3 Aug 2026.
Is Spokane County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 45.96% of Spokane County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 7 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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