Natural disaster risk in Winnebago County, Wisconsin

Wisconsin · population 171,623 · FIPS 55139

Overall: relatively moderate risk

Winnebago County has a composite risk score of 86.8 out of 100 — higher than 86% of US counties. It ranks 6 of 72 in Wisconsin (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are cold wave, strong wind, tornado.

Drought now: No: no drought or dryness

No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Winnebago County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 4 weeks in a row.

Drought in Winnebago 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 86.8
Expected annual loss
About $75.3 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Relatively moderate 88.4
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively low 20.8
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Very high 97.7

Risk by hazard

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

HazardRisk rating and score
Cold wave Relatively high 95
Strong wind Relatively high 94
Tornado Relatively high 91
Lightning Relatively high 82
Hail Relatively moderate 93
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively moderate 89
Winter weather Relatively moderate 77
Heat wave Relatively low 75
Ice storm Relatively low 49
Wildfire Very low 40
Earthquake Very low 33
Drought Very low 26
Landslide Very low 21
Hurricane Very low 16
Avalanche Not applicable
Coastal flooding Not applicable
Tsunami Not applicable
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Winnebago County

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

Yes. Winnebago County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4949-WI (Severe Storms and Tornadoes), declared 7 Oct 2026.

DeclarationKindIncidentDeclaredIndividual assistance here
DR-4949-WI Major disaster Severe Storms and Tornadoes 7 Oct 2026 Yes
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 Winnebago County, Wisconsin?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Winnebago County as relatively moderate, with a score of 86.8 out of 100 (higher than 86% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Winnebago County?

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

What is the flood risk in Winnebago County?

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

Has Winnebago County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Yes. Winnebago County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4949-WI (Severe Storms and Tornadoes), declared 7 Oct 2026.

Is Winnebago County in a drought?

No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Winnebago County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 4 weeks in a row.

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