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Washington · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index

Skagit County, WA

8 FEMA disaster declarations (2015–2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Flood.

8
FEMA declarations
6
Major disasters
89
NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
Flood
Top hazard

FEMA's National Risk Index places Skagit County in the top 11% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 90% of all 2,729 counties tracked.

How does Skagit County compare?

FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the Washington county average and the national county average.

Skagit County
8
Washington county avg
5.8
National county avg
3.7

How disaster-prone is Skagit County?

Skagit County, Washington has recorded 8 FEMA disaster declarations between 2015 and 2026, of which 6 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 0.7 declarations per year across a 11-year record, or roughly 38% above the Washington county average of 5.8 and 114% above 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 Flood, with 3 of 8 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Relatively Moderate (composite score 88.8/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Relatively Moderate equivalent to roughly $80.9M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Relatively Low and community resilience scores Relatively High - two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Volcanic Activity (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 Skagit County at a moderate 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 Skagit County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.

Risk Level

Moderate

vs. Washington Avg

+38%

State avg: 5.8

vs. National Avg

+114%

National avg: 3.7

Avg Per Year

0.7

Over 11 years

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Skagit County

Skagit County NRI risk profile 8-axis FEMA National Risk Index radar showing per-hazard composite scores for Earthquake 48, Flood 70, Hurricane 0, Tornado 8, Wildfire 8, Drought 8, Heat Wave 25, Winter Storm 70. Overall composite 30 of 100, classified Moderate. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 30 composite
Skagit County NRI risk profile FIPS 53057 · composite 30/100 (Moderate)

The radar plots Skagit 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.

FEMA Records

8

Total declarations

NRI Source

FEMA 2023

Latest NRI release

County FIPS

53057

WA state code

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

Disaster Types

Breakdown of 8 FEMA disaster declarations in Skagit County by incident type.

Flood 3
Severe Storm 3
Biological 1
Fire 1

Declaration Types

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

Major Disaster - 6 75.0%

of all 8 declarations

Emergency - 1 12.5%

of all 8 declarations

Fire Management - 1 12.5%

of all 8 declarations

FEMA Declarations Timeline

Disaster declarations per year for Skagit County.

Year Declarations
2026 1
2024 1
2023 1
2022 2
2021 1
2020 1
2015 1

Disaster Declarations

All 8 FEMA disaster declarations for Skagit County, Washington.

DR# Title Type Incident Date
3629 SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES EM Flood 2025-12-12
4775 SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES DR Severe Storm 2024-04-28
4682 SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES DR Severe Storm 2023-01-12
4650 SEVERE WINTER STORMS, SNOWSTORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODIN DR Flood 2022-03-29
4635 SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES DR Flood 2022-01-05
4593 SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES DR Severe Storm 2021-04-08
4481 COVID-19 PANDEMIC DR Biological 2020-03-22
5109 GOODELL FIRE FM Fire 2015-08-24

Storm Events in Washington

NOAA severe weather data for Washington (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.

Storm Type Events Fatalities Injuries Property Damage
Heavy Snow 1,736 5 13 $2.4M
High Wind 647 15 6 $1.1B
Wildfire 337 4 4 $2.3B
Winter Weather 281 9 62 $1.1M
Flood 261 4 0 $391.7M

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 Skagit County.

Overall Risk

Relatively Moderate

Score: 88.8/100

Expected Annual Loss

Relatively Moderate

$80.9M/year

Social Vulnerability

Relatively Low

Community Resilience

Relatively High

Hazard Risk Breakdown

Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Skagit County.

Volcanic Activity Relatively High
Earthquake Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively High
Coastal Flooding Relatively High
Avalanche Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Tsunami Very Low
Drought Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Hail Very Low
Strong Wind 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 Washington

Other Washington counties with similar disaster declaration counts.

Disaster Preparedness Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many natural disasters has Skagit County, Washington had?
Skagit County, Washington has received 8 FEMA disaster declarations from 2015 to 2026. Of these, 6 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Skagit County?
The most common disaster type in Skagit County is Flood, with 3 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (3), Biological (1), Fire (1).
How does Skagit County's disaster risk compare to the Washington average?
Skagit County has 8 disaster declarations, which is 38% higher than the Washington county average of 5.8 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 114% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Skagit County received?
Skagit County has received 6 major disaster declarations, representing 75% of all 8 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Washington?
The most common storm types in Washington include Heavy Snow (1,736 events), High Wind (647 events), Wildfire (337 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Skagit County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Skagit County was 2022, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2015 to 2026.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Skagit County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Skagit County has a moderate disaster risk level with 8 total declarations. This county has a moderate number of disaster declarations.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Skagit County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Skagit County, Washington has an overall risk score of 88.8 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Low and community resilience is Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $80.9M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Skagit County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Skagit County is Volcanic Activity (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Earthquake (Relatively Moderate) and Landslide (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 Skagit County

Skagit County, WA has 8 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a moderate historical disaster load, 38% above the Washington county average.

  • Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (6 of 8) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Washington 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 report a data error.