FEMA Records
1
Total declarations
Montana · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Big Horn County, MT
1 FEMA disaster declarations (2021–2021), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Fire.
- 1
- FEMA declarations
- 0
- Major disasters
- 57
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Fire
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Big Horn County in the top 43% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 0% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Big Horn County compare?
- Big Horn County
- 1
- Montana county avg
- 1.8
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Big Horn County?
Big Horn County, Montana has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2021 and 2021, of which 0 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at - declarations per year, or roughly 45% below the Montana county average of 1.8 and 73% below the national county average of 3.7.
The dominant disaster type on record is Fire, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category. This county carries a high composite score on FEMA's National Risk Index, 57.2/100, rated Relatively Low. Its Expected Annual Loss rating is Very Low (roughly $11.2M in annualized losses), and a Very High social-vulnerability profile combined with Very Low community resilience shapes how much of that raw exposure becomes realized harm. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Strong Wind stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High.
Taken together, Big Horn County's federal disaster history is about as quiet as U.S. counties get, a very low relative risk level on this measure.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
Very Low
vs. Montana Avg
-45%
State avg: 1.8
vs. National Avg
-73%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
-
-
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Big Horn County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Big Horn County's relative exposure to the eight headline natural hazards used by the FEMA National Risk Index. Each axis is the qualitative NRI risk rating (Very Low through Very High) re-expressed on a 0-100 scale so that the polygon shape lets you compare a county against another at a glance. A rounder polygon means broad multi-hazard exposure; a spiky polygon means one or two dominant hazards drive most of the modeled risk.
NRI Source
FEMA 2023
Latest NRI release
County FIPS
30003
MT state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Fire 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Fire Management - 1 100.0%
of all 1 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5403 | PF FIRE | FM | Fire | 2021-07-28 |
Storm Events in Montana
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 4,035 | 2 | 2 | $7.7M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 2,705 | 5 | 24 | $15.1M |
| Hail | 2,205 | 0 | 0 | $4.1M |
| Winter Storm | 1,640 | 21 | 28 | $11.2M |
| Heavy Snow | 904 | 5 | 3 | $143.0K |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 57.2/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$11.2M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very High
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Strong Wind Relatively High
Wildfire Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively High
Lightning Relatively High
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Drought Relatively Low
Avalanche Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Volcanic Activity Very Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
Counties with Similar Risk in Montana
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Big Horn County, Montana had?
Big Horn County, Montana has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2021 to 2021.
What is the most common disaster type in Big Horn County?
The most common disaster type in Big Horn County is Fire, with 1 declaration.
How does Big Horn County's disaster risk compare to the Montana average?
Big Horn County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 45% lower than the Montana county average of 1.8 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 73% lower.
What types of storms are most common in Montana?
The most common storm types in Montana include High Wind (4,035 events), Thunderstorm Wind (2,705 events), Hail (2,205 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Big Horn County?
Big Horn County has just 1 FEMA disaster declaration on record, placing it in the very-low-risk band, among the quieter counties in FEMA's declaration history.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Big Horn County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Big Horn County, Montana has an overall risk score of 57.2 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very High and community resilience is Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $11.2M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Big Horn County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Big Horn County is Strong Wind (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Wildfire (Relatively Moderate) and Winter Weather (Relatively High). These scores are based on FEMA's analysis of historical event frequency, exposed assets, and community vulnerability.
Data Sources & Methodology
Disaster declaration data comes from the FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 API, which includes all federally declared disasters, emergencies, and fire management assistance grants.
Storm event data is sourced from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2015–2025), which tracks significant weather events including thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, and winter storms.
This data is provided for informational purposes only. FEMA disaster declarations represent federal response actions and may not capture all local emergencies or weather events.
What this means for Big Horn County
Big Horn County, MT has 1 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a very low historical disaster load, 45% below the Montana county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is fire management (1 of 1) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Montana overview
- See how this county ranks against the rest of the country for disaster frequency. Most-disaster rankings
- Read how to read FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and what they do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide
Historical declaration counts describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FEMA OpenFEMA, Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 - all federally-declared disasters for this county. fema.gov/openfema/disaster-declarations
- FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) - per-county per-hazard risk ratings and expected annual loss. hazards.fema.gov/nri
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database - state-level storm/severe-weather event records, 2015–2025. ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →
Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FEMA federal disaster data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.