FEMA Records
1
Total declarations
Montana · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Dawson County, MT
1 FEMA disaster declarations (2021–2021), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Other.
- 1
- FEMA declarations
- 1
- Major disasters
- 64
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Other
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Dawson County in the top 36% 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 Dawson County compare?
FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the Montana county average and the national county average.
- Dawson County
- 1
- Montana county avg
- 1.8
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Dawson County?
Dawson County, Montana has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2021 and 2021, of which 1 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. Declaration counts reflect federal recognition of event severity, not pure hazard frequency — smaller incidents handled locally never appear in FEMA's ledger.
The dominant disaster type on record is Other, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Relatively Low (composite score 63.8/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Relatively Low equivalent to roughly $21.4M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Relatively Moderate and community resilience scores Relatively Moderate — two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Cold Wave (Relatively High).
NFIP flood insurance claims data for this county is not present in the FEMA claims extract, which typically indicates either low historical flood activity or low policy penetration. Taken together, these indicators place Dawson County at a very low relative risk level for federally recognized disasters. Households should pair this historical lens with forward-looking hazard maps — flood zones, wildfire risk overlays, and seismic zones published by FEMA and state emergency management — before making preparedness, insurance, or relocation decisions.
Risk Assessment
How Dawson County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.
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 — Dawson County
The radar plots Dawson 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.
NRI Source
FEMA 2023
Latest NRI release
County FIPS
30021
MT state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Breakdown of 1 FEMA disaster declarations in Dawson County by incident type.
Other 1
Declaration Types
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster — 1 100.0%
of all 1 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
Disaster declarations per year for Dawson County.
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
All 1 FEMA disaster declarations for Dawson County, Montana.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4608 | STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR | Other | 2021-08-13 |
Storm Events in Montana
NOAA severe weather data for Montana (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.
| 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
FEMA's composite risk score combining 18 natural hazard types, social vulnerability, and community resilience for Dawson County.
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 63.8/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$21.4M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience
Relatively Moderate
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Dawson County.
Cold Wave Relatively High
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Drought Relatively Low
Tornado Very Low
Earthquake Very Low
Ice Storm 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
Other Montana counties with similar disaster declaration counts.
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Dawson County, Montana had?
Dawson County, Montana has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2021 to 2021. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Dawson County?
The most common disaster type in Dawson County is Other, with 1 declaration.
How does Dawson County's disaster risk compare to the Montana average?
Dawson 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.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Dawson County received?
Dawson County has received 1 major disaster declaration, representing 100% of all 1 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
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 Dawson County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Dawson County has a very low disaster risk level with 1 total declarations. This county has relatively few disaster declarations compared to the national average.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Dawson County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Dawson County, Montana has an overall risk score of 63.8 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Moderate and community resilience is Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $21.4M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Dawson County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Dawson County is Cold Wave (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Winter Weather (Relatively Moderate) and Lightning (Relatively Moderate). 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 Dawson County
Dawson 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 major disaster (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 U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →