Natural disaster risk in Sawyer County, Wisconsin
Wisconsin · population 18,035 · FIPS 55113
Overall: relatively low risk
Sawyer County has a composite risk score of 74.5 out of 100 — higher than 74% of US counties. It ranks 21 of 72 in Wisconsin (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are cold wave, winter weather, strong wind.
Drought now: Yes: D4 Exceptional Drought, 4 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 12.32% of Sawyer County is in D4 Exceptional Drought. Some of it has been at D4 for 4 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Sawyer 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 low 74.5 |
| Expected annual loss About $23.4 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 65.7 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 84.7 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 52 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Sawyer County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Cold wave | Relatively high 98 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 75 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 65 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 57 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 62 |
| Hail | Relatively low 49 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 38 |
| Drought | Relatively low 33 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 30 |
| Heat wave | Very low 33 |
| Landslide | Very low 17 |
| Wildfire | Very low 17 |
| Earthquake | Very low 0 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | No rating |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Sawyer County
Federal declarations that designated Sawyer County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Sawyer County.
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 Sawyer County, Wisconsin?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Sawyer County as relatively low, with a score of 74.5 out of 100 (higher than 74% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Sawyer County?
The hazards rated highest for Sawyer County are cold wave (relatively high), winter weather (relatively moderate), strong wind (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Sawyer County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Sawyer County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Sawyer County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Sawyer County.
Is Sawyer County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 12.32% of Sawyer County is in D4 Exceptional Drought. Some of it has been at D4 for 4 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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