Natural disaster risk in Kenosha County, Wisconsin

Wisconsin · population 168,940 · FIPS 55059

Overall: relatively moderate risk

Kenosha County has a composite risk score of 85.0 out of 100 — higher than 85% of US counties. It ranks 9 of 72 in Wisconsin (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are cold wave, lightning, strong wind.

Drought now: No: no drought or dryness

No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Kenosha County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 9 weeks in a row.

Drought in Kenosha 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 moderate 85
Expected annual loss
About $63.5 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Relatively moderate 86.8
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively low 23.7
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Very high 97.3

Risk by hazard

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

HazardRisk rating and score
Cold wave Relatively high 98
Lightning Relatively high 92
Strong wind Relatively high 92
Tornado Relatively high 92
Hail Relatively moderate 88
Heat wave Relatively moderate 80
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively moderate 76
Earthquake Relatively low 61
Drought Relatively low 43
Ice storm Relatively low 41
Winter weather Relatively low 25
Coastal flooding Very low 30
Wildfire Very low 29
Landslide Very low 26
Hurricane Very low 18
Avalanche Not applicable
Tsunami Insufficient data
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Kenosha County

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

Yes. Kenosha County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4923-WI (Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 30 Jun 2026.

DeclarationKindIncidentDeclaredIndividual assistance here
DR-4923-WI Major disaster Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding 30 Jun 2026 Yes

All FEMA declarations in Wisconsin, 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 Kenosha County, Wisconsin?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Kenosha County as relatively moderate, with a score of 85.0 out of 100 (higher than 85% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Kenosha County?

The hazards rated highest for Kenosha County are cold wave (relatively high), lightning (relatively high), strong wind (relatively high).

What is the flood risk in Kenosha County?

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

Has Kenosha County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Yes. Kenosha County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4923-WI (Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 30 Jun 2026.

Is Kenosha County in a drought?

No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Kenosha County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 9 weeks in a row.

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