FEMA Records
4
Total declarations
Texas · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Hidalgo County, TX
4 FEMA disaster declarations (2021–2025), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Severe Ice Storm.
- 4
- FEMA declarations
- 3
- Major disasters
- 99
- NRI risk · Relatively High
- Severe Ice Storm
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Hidalgo County in the top 1% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 59% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Hidalgo County compare?
- Hidalgo County
- 4
- Texas county avg
- 3.3
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Hidalgo County?
Hidalgo County, Texas has recorded 4 FEMA disaster declarations between 2021 and 2025, of which 3 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 1.0 declarations per year across a 4-year record, or roughly 22% above the Texas county average of 3.3 and 7% above the national county average of 3.7.
The dominant disaster type on record is Severe Ice Storm, with 2 of 4 declarations falling under this category. This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 99.0/100 (Relatively High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively High (roughly $309.8M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Very High and community resilience Very Low, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Cold Wave stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High.
Taken together, Hidalgo County reads as low relative risk on this historical lens, fewer federally recognized disasters than a typical U.S. county.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
Low
vs. Texas Avg
+22%
State avg: 3.3
vs. National Avg
+7%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
1.0
Over 4 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Hidalgo County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Hidalgo 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
48215
TX state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Severe Ice Storm 2
Flood 1
Hurricane 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 3 75.0%
of all 4 declarations
Emergency - 1 25.0%
of all 4 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 2 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4871 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2025-05-21 |
| 4798 | HURRICANE BERYL | DR | Hurricane | 2024-07-09 |
| 4586 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2021-02-19 |
| 3554 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Severe Ice Storm | 2021-02-14 |
Storm Events in Texas
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 15,525 | 0 | 20 | $7.4B |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 11,498 | 43 | 156 | $400.2M |
| Drought | 7,643 | 0 | 0 | $86.0K |
| Flash Flood | 5,352 | 483 | 24 | $48.0B |
| Heat | 4,426 | 121 | 423 | $0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively High
Score: 99.0/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively High
$309.8M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very High
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Cold Wave Very High
Hurricane Very High
Hail Very High
Heat Wave Relatively High
Drought Relatively High
Ice Storm Very High
Tornado Relatively High
Winter Weather Relatively High
Lightning Relatively High
Strong Wind Relatively High
Wildfire Relatively Low
Earthquake Relatively Low
Landslide 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 Texas
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Hidalgo County, Texas had?
Hidalgo County, Texas has received 4 FEMA disaster declarations from 2021 to 2025. Of these, 3 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Hidalgo County?
The most common disaster type in Hidalgo County is Severe Ice Storm, with 2 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (1), Hurricane (1).
How does Hidalgo County's disaster risk compare to the Texas average?
Hidalgo County has 4 disaster declarations, which is 22% higher than the Texas county average of 3.3 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 7% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Hidalgo County received?
Hidalgo County has received 3 major disaster declarations, representing 75% of all 4 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Texas?
The most common storm types in Texas include Hail (15,525 events), Thunderstorm Wind (11,498 events), Drought (7,643 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Hidalgo County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Hidalgo County was 2021, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2021 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Hidalgo County?
Hidalgo County's 4 FEMA disaster declarations put it in the low-risk band, fewer federally recognized disasters than a typical U.S. county over the same span.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Hidalgo County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Hidalgo County, Texas has an overall risk score of 99.0 out of 100 (Relatively High). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very High and community resilience is Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively High, representing $309.8M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Hidalgo County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Hidalgo County is Cold Wave (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Hurricane (Very High) and Hail (Very 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 Hidalgo County
Hidalgo County, TX has 4 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a low historical disaster load, 22% above the Texas county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (3 of 4) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Texas 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.