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Virginia · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index

Prince William County, VA

1 FEMA disaster declarations (2026–2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Winter Storm.

1
FEMA declarations
0
Major disasters
83
NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
Winter Storm
Top hazard

The verdict

Prince William County ranks in the riskiest 17% of U.S. counties for FEMA-modeled hazard risk, with more federally declared disasters than 0% of the 2,791 counties FEMA tracks. FEMA rates the county's overall risk as Relatively Moderate, based on 1 federal disaster declarations recorded since 2026, most often winter storm, 74% below the national county average of 4.

Riskiest 17%
of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
Relatively Moderate
FEMA National Risk Index rating
1
FEMA declarations vs 4 national county avg
1
winter storm declarations, the most common hazard here

FEMA's National Risk Index score reflects expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience; the declaration count above reflects only Presidentially declared disasters, not every hazard event.

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How does Prince William County compare?

Prince William County vs. every U.S. county

FEMA disaster declarations, all-time

1 0th percentile higher than 0% of 2,791 counties

This county 0 30 all U.S. counties FEMA tracks, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 · 2026-07-25

Prince William County's FEMA Risk Index score

FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Virginia county average

0/100100/100Virginia avg33/10083.2/100
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Virginia county average

How disaster-prone is Prince William County?

Declaration frequency

Prince William County, Virginia has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2026 and 2026, 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 55% below the Virginia county average of 2.2 and 74% below the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Winter Storm, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category.

FEMA National Risk Index

This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 83.2/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $69.0M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Very Low and community resilience Relatively Moderate, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Among the 18 modeled hazards, Heat Wave carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate.

Flood exposure & the bottom line

Taken together, Prince William 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. Virginia Avg

-55%

State avg: 2.2

vs. National Avg

-74%

National avg: 3.8

Avg Per Year

-

-

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Prince William County

Prince William County NRI risk profile 8-axis FEMA National Risk Index radar showing per-hazard composite scores for Earthquake 25, Flood 25, Hurricane 48, Tornado 48, Wildfire 8, Drought 25, Heat Wave 48, Winter Storm 70. Overall composite 37 of 100, classified Moderate. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 37 composite
Prince William County NRI risk profile FIPS 51153 · composite 37/100 (Moderate)
How to read this radar

The radar plots Prince William 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.

FEMA Records

1

Total declarations

NRI Source

FEMA 2023

Latest NRI release

County FIPS

51153

VA state code

Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release

Disaster Types

Winter Storm 1

Declaration Types

What DR / EM / FM mean

FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).

Emergency - 1 100.0%

of all 1 declarations

FEMA Declarations Timeline

Year Declarations
2026 1

Disaster Declarations

DR# Title Type Incident Date
3631 SEVERE WINTER STORM EM Winter Storm 2026-01-23

Storm Events in Virginia

Storm Type Events Fatalities Injuries Property Damage
Thunderstorm Wind 11,070 16 36 $192.1M
Winter Weather 2,529 7 32 $903.0K
Flash Flood 2,519 15 5 $263.6M
Flood 2,511 4 0 $85.2M
Winter Storm 1,745 5 6 $3.5M

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025

FEMA National Risk Index

Overall Risk

Relatively Moderate

Score: 83.2/100

Expected Annual Loss

Relatively Moderate

$69.0M/year

Social Vulnerability

Very Low

Community Resilience

Relatively Moderate

Hazard Risk Breakdown

Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively High
Winter Weather Relatively High
Strong Wind Relatively High
Hurricane Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Moderate
Tornado Relatively Moderate
Landslide Very Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Coastal Flooding Relatively Low
Cold Wave Very Low
Wildfire 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 Virginia

Frequently Asked Questions

How many natural disasters has Prince William County, Virginia had?
Prince William County, Virginia has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2026 to 2026.
What is the most common disaster type in Prince William County?
The most common disaster type in Prince William County is Winter Storm, with 1 declaration.
How does Prince William County's disaster risk compare to the Virginia average?
Prince William County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 55% lower than the Virginia county average of 2.2 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 74% lower.
What types of storms are most common in Virginia?
The most common storm types in Virginia include Thunderstorm Wind (11,070 events), Winter Weather (2,529 events), Flash Flood (2,519 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Prince William County?
Prince William 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 Prince William County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Prince William County, Virginia has an overall risk score of 83.2 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very Low and community resilience is Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $69.0M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Prince William County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Prince William County is Heat Wave (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Lightning (Relatively High) 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 Prince William County

Prince William County, VA runs 55% below the Virginia county average for federal disaster declarations (1 vs 2), a very low historical load overall.

  • Its most common federal declaration type is emergency (1 of 1) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Virginia 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.

All federal data sources used on this page
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 national statistics report, or report a data error.