Natural disaster risk in Platte County, Wyoming
Wyoming · population 8,567 · FIPS 56031
Overall: very low risk
Platte County has a composite risk score of 25.7 out of 100 — higher than 25% of US counties. It ranks 15 of 23 in Wyoming (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are winter weather, cold wave, wildfire.
Drought now: Yes: D3 Extreme Drought, 8 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 29.49% of Platte County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 8 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Platte 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. |
Very low 25.7 |
| Expected annual loss About $5.9 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 16.6 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 83.9 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 13.9 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Platte County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 80 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 66 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 87 |
| Hail | Relatively low 65 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 48 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 45 |
| Drought | Relatively low 36 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 33 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 23 |
| Landslide | Very low 43 |
| Earthquake | Very low 40 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 33 |
| Heat wave | Very low 9 |
| Avalanche | Very low 4 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Platte County
Federal declarations that designated Platte County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Platte County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is FM-5523-WY (Pleasant Valley Fire), declared 30 Jul 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FM-5523-WY | Fire management | Pleasant Valley Fire | 30 Jul 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Wyoming, 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 Platte County, Wyoming?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Platte County as very low, with a score of 25.7 out of 100 (higher than 25% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Platte County?
The hazards rated highest for Platte County are winter weather (relatively moderate), cold wave (relatively moderate), wildfire (relatively low).
What is the flood risk in Platte County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Platte County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Platte County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Platte County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is FM-5523-WY (Pleasant Valley Fire), declared 30 Jul 2024.
Is Platte County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 29.49% of Platte County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 8 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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