Natural disaster risk in Yakima County, Washington
Washington · population 256,420 · FIPS 53077
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Yakima County has a composite risk score of 94.0 out of 100 — higher than 94% of US counties. It ranks 6 of 39 in Washington (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are avalanche, cold wave, landslide.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, at least 54 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 16.52% of Yakima County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.
Drought in Yakima 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 94 |
| Expected annual loss About $119.8 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 92.3 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 63.9 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 13.5 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Yakima County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Avalanche | Very high 94 |
| Cold wave | Relatively high 98 |
| Landslide | Relatively high 98 |
| Wildfire | Relatively high 98 |
| Winter weather | Relatively high 85 |
| Earthquake | Relatively moderate 97 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 93 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 92 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 92 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 70 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 67 |
| Volcanic activity | Relatively low 87 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 53 |
| Drought | Relatively low 36 |
| Tornado | Very low 19 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Yakima County
Federal declarations that designated Yakima County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Yakima County has been named in 8 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-5651-WA | Fire management | Ransier Fire | 26 Jul 2026 | No |
| FM-5649-WA | Fire management | Signal Peak Fire | 26 Jul 2026 | No |
| DR-4906-WA | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 7 Apr 2026 | No |
| EM-3629-WA | Emergency | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 12 Dec 2025 | No |
| FM-5521-WA | Fire management | Retreat Fire | 26 Jul 2024 | No |
| FM-5517-WA | Fire management | West White Swan Fire | 23 Jul 2024 | No |
| FM-5499-WA | Fire management | Slide Ranch Fire | 23 Jun 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 Yakima County, Washington?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Yakima County as relatively moderate, with a score of 94.0 out of 100 (higher than 94% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Yakima County?
The hazards rated highest for Yakima County are avalanche (very high), cold wave (relatively high), landslide (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Yakima County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Yakima County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Yakima County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Yakima County has been named in 8 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3650-WA (Wildfires), declared 3 Aug 2026.
Is Yakima County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 16.52% of Yakima County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.
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