FEMA Records
37
Very high volume
Washington · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Snohomish County, WA
37 FEMA disaster declarations (1965-2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.
- 37
- FEMA declarations
- 32
- Major disasters
- 98
- NRI risk · Relatively High
- Severe Storm
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Snohomish County. Its 37 FEMA declarations are 49% above the Washington county mean and exceed the count for 95% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 2%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 2%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively High
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 37
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 1,961
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed
FEMA's National Risk Index and its declaration registry are separate measures. This county's registry includes Fire Management Assistance (FM) records, which are not presidential disaster declarations, alongside Major Disaster (DR) and Emergency (EM) records.
FEMA OpenFEMA declaration desk
County FIPS 53061 · Snohomish County 37 declarations · rank 163/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-HEAVY · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-HIGH · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-ABOVE
- DECL-HEAVY 37
- MAJOR-HEAVY 86%
- RANK-UPPER #163
- PHOTO-FINISH Washita
- NRI-HIGH 98
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Severe Storm
- VS-ST-ABOVE +49%
Nearest declaration peer: Washita, OK (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Washington state profile
Snohomish County among high-volume declaration counties
FEMA declaration records among Snohomish County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Grant · near
Grant · near
37 declarations
- Marion · near
Marion · near
37 declarations
- Snohomish · this county
Snohomish · this county
37 declarations
- Washita · near
Washita · near
37 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Snohomish County carries 37 FEMA declaration records, ranked 163 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Where Snohomish County ranks in the national declaration registry
Snohomish County vs. high-volume counties in this registry
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Snohomish County
37 Top 5% higher than 95% of 3,266 counties
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 · 2026-08-25
Snohomish County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Snohomish County is led by Earthquake (about $246.7M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively High), while Landslide carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High). EAL and risk score use different inputs; they need not agree.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025 release) - Expected Annual Loss vs composite risk rating by hazard.
What does Snohomish County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 1,961 claims and $37.1M in payments. PlainHazard labels 500 or more claims a heavy registry record; that is a reporting bucket, not an official FEMA risk grade. The average paid claim was $18.9K. NFIP totals exclude uninsured flood losses and do not measure how many properties currently carry a policy.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Snohomish County's 37 federal records stand 49% above the Washington county mean of 24.9. That comparison describes how often federal action was recorded, including any Major Disaster, Emergency, and Fire Management entries shown on this page; it does not convert the count into future probability.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 97.9/100 (Relatively High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively High (roughly $409.2M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Very Low and community resilience Relatively High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Landslide stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 4.1 times per year here.
88 /100
Historical Activity Index
Very High historical activity
Snohomish County, WA · PlainHazard-derived composite from federal records
This 0–100 index is an explicit PlainHazard composite from FEMA declaration history only on the county surface (this DB has no county-level NOAA damage row) . It is not FEMA's National Risk Index, not a forecast, and not a safety, insurance, or preparedness rating. Open the calculator · Methodology
FEMA Declarations (1953–present) Very High
27/30
37 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.8x national county average)
County Disaster Density Very High
19/25
37 declarations (1.5x state county average of 25)
Major Disaster Share Very High
22/25
32 of 37 declarations are major disasters (86%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
8 different disaster types declared in Snohomish County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Snohomish County
How to read this radar
Each axis: NRI risk rating (Very Low-Very High) on a 0-100 scale. Rounder = broad exposure; spiky = one or two hazards dominate.
Major Disaster share
86%
Mostly major
NRI risk score
98
Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Snohomish County?
FEMA's National Risk Index models a historical event count and an annualized frequency for each hazard type. Most hazards are expressed as modeled occurrences per year; FEMA expresses drought and heat-wave frequency as event-days per year. These modeled frequencies are not forecasts.
| Hazard | NRI Risk Rating | Recurrence |
|---|---|---|
| Landslide | Very High | an average of 4.1 times per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively High | roughly once every 28 years |
| Ice Storm | Very High | roughly once every 2 years |
| Heat Wave | Relatively High | 3.4 modeled event-days per year |
| Volcanic Activity | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 81 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | roughly once every 3 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | an average of 32 times per year |
| Avalanche | Relatively High | roughly once every 3 years |
| Lightning | Relatively High | an average of 8.6 times per year |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 3.2 times per year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | roughly once every 28 years |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 35,357 years |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | roughly once every 20 years |
| Hail | Very Low | roughly once every 32 years |
| Drought | Very Low | 4.7 modeled event-days per year |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | roughly once every 54 years |
| Tsunami | Very Low | roughly once every 18 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Severe Storm 15
Flood 13
Biological 2
Mud/Landslide 2
Earthquake 2
Fire 1
Coastal Storm 1
Volcanic Eruption 1
What Severe Storm declarations mean here
Severe Storm is the most frequent declaration type on Snohomish County's record, 41% of its declarations. In FEMA's vocabulary this covers convective weather: thunderstorm straight-line winds, large hail, and the multi-day outbreaks that often carry embedded tornadoes. Activity is heaviest in spring and summer, though the season varies by region.
These events behave differently from a hurricane on paper. Damage tends to be distributed along a storm track rather than concentrated on a coastline, and a declaration typically follows an outbreak that crossed several counties over a few days, not a single point of impact. Because the qualifying threshold is the cost of uninsured public and individual losses rather than storm intensity, two similar storms can produce a declaration in one year and none in another.
Declaration counts describe past federal action. They are a record of what was declared, not a forecast of future hazard probability.
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 32 86.5%
of all 37 declarations
Emergency - 4 10.8%
of all 37 declarations
Fire Management - 1 2.7%
of all 37 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 2 | |
| 2006 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 1 | |
Show 10 earlier declaration years
| 2001 | 1 | |
| 1997 | 2 | |
| 1996 | 2 | |
| 1993 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 2 | |
| 1987 | 1 | |
| 1980 | 2 | |
| 1978 | 1 | |
| 1976 | 1 | |
| 1965 | 2 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 37 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 37 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4906 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2026-04-07 |
| 3629 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | EM | Flood | 2025-12-12 |
| 4682 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2023-01-12 |
| 5455 | BOLT CREEK FIRE | FM | Fire | 2022-09-10 |
| 4593 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2021-04-08 |
| 4539 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2020-04-23 |
| 4481 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-22 |
| 3427 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4418 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, MUDSLIDES, TORNADO | DR | Severe Storm | 2019-03-04 |
| 4249 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2016-01-15 |
| 4242 | SEVERE WINDSTORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2015-10-15 |
| 4168 | FLOODING AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Mud/Landslide | 2014-04-02 |
| 3370 | FLOODING AND MUDSLIDES | EM | Mud/Landslide | 2014-03-24 |
| 4056 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2012-03-05 |
| 1825 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND RECORD AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | DR | Severe Storm | 2009-03-02 |
| 1817 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, LANDSLIDES, MUDSLIDES, AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2009-01-30 |
| 1734 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-12-08 |
| 1682 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-02-14 |
| 1671 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-12-12 |
| 1641 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, TIDAL SURGE, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-05-17 |
Show 17 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3227 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Coastal Storm | 2005-09-07 |
| 1499 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2003-11-07 |
| 1361 | EARTHQUAKE | DR | Earthquake | 2001-03-01 |
| 1172 | HEAVY RAINS, SNOW MELT, FLOODING, LAND & MUD SLIDES | DR | Flood | 1997-04-02 |
| 1159 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, LAND & MUDS SLIDES,FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1997-01-17 |
| 1100 | HIGH WINDS, SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1996-02-09 |
| 1079 | SEVERE STORMS, HIGH WIND, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1996-01-03 |
| 981 | SEVERE STORMS & HIGH WIND | DR | Severe Storm | 1993-03-04 |
| 896 | SEVERE STORMS & HIGH TIDES | DR | Flood | 1991-03-08 |
| 883 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1990-11-26 |
| 784 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1986-12-15 |
| 623 | VOLCANIC ERUPTION, MT. ST. HELENS | DR | Volcanic Eruption | 1980-05-21 |
| 612 | STORMS, HIGH TIDES, MUDSLIDES & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1979-12-31 |
| 545 | SEVERE STORMS,MUDSLIDES, & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1977-12-10 |
| 492 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1975-12-13 |
| 196 | EARTHQUAKE | DR | Earthquake | 1965-05-11 |
| 185 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1964-12-29 |
Storm Events in Washington
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Snohomish County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Snow | 1,700 | 5 | 7 | $2.3M |
| High Wind | 614 | 15 | 6 | $1.1B |
| Wildfire | 299 | 4 | 4 | $1.8B |
| Winter Weather | 259 | 9 | 62 | $1.1M |
| Flood | 231 | 4 | 0 | $391.2M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
1,961
Total Paid
$37.1M
Avg Per Claim
$18.9K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively High
Score: 97.9/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively High
$409.2M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Relatively High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Landslide Very High
Earthquake Relatively High
Ice Storm Very High
Heat Wave Relatively High
Volcanic Activity Relatively Moderate
Riverine Flooding Relatively High
Winter Weather Relatively High
Avalanche Relatively High
Lightning Relatively High
Coastal Flooding Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Hail Very Low
Drought Very Low
Strong Wind Very Low
Tsunami Very Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
The model's sharpest exposure here: Landslide
Landslide risk is a function of slope, soil and water, so it is usually a SECOND-ORDER hazard: it is triggered by the rainfall, snowmelt, wildfire burn scars or seismic shaking that came first. That is why a county can carry high landslide exposure whose realized damage is recorded under a flood or storm declaration instead.
Worth noting for Snohomish County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Landslide carries the highest modeled rating (Very High), while the county's declaration history is led by Severe Storm. That is not a contradiction, the two measure genuinely different things. Declarations record federal ACTION, which requires damage costly enough to exceed state and local capacity; the Risk Index models EXPECTED annual loss across all 18 hazards whether or not any declaration ever followed. A hazard can be the county's largest modeled exposure and never once have driven a declaration.
National Risk Index ratings are modeled estimates of expected annual loss, not predictions of what will happen in any given year.
Data-matched county comparisons
Snohomish County's closest FEMA peer: Richland County, ND
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Snohomish County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Snohomish County shows 37 FEMA declarations, led by Severe Storm.
Similar Major-disaster share
Snohomish County: 32 of 37 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Snohomish County: NRI composite 97.9 (Relatively High).
How these peers are chosen
Cohort: Published U.S. county equivalents outside the source state or territory. Each metric keeps six ETL candidates; three unique destinations are shown after de-duplicating across axes. Declaration-volume ranking combines count and Major-disaster share and prefers a different leading incident type; Major-share ranks the Major fraction adjusted for volume; NRI ranks the modeled composite score only.
Retained FEMA snapshot feed for Snohomish County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Snohomish County: nearest out-of-state National Risk Index composite and nearest FEMA declaration count (floor ≥5 records). Record similarity only, not a forecast of the next hazard.
Similar NRI composite
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA NRI score. This county: 97.9 (Relatively High).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 37. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Snohomish County's NFIP claims file (1,961 claims) and FEMA declaration history measure different federal records - this guide separates them from modeled NRI risk.
More PlainHazard guides
- Most disaster-prone counties - U.S. counties ranked by FEMA declaration totals.
- Understanding disaster data - declarations vs storm events vs NRI scores.
- Preparing for natural disasters - household checklist (not county-specific advice).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common disaster type in Snohomish County?
The most common disaster type in Snohomish County is Severe Storm, with 15 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (13), Biological (2), Mud/Landslide (2).
How does Snohomish County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Washington average?
FEMA lists 37 declaration records for Snohomish County. That is 49% above the Washington county mean of 24.9. Its count is also 79% above the national county mean of 20.7. A larger declaration history records more federal actions; it is not a forecast of the county's next hazard.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Snohomish County received?
Snohomish County has received 32 major disaster declarations, representing 86% of all 37 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Snohomish County filed?
Snohomish County has 1,961 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $37.1M in payments, with an average of $18.9K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Snohomish County?
No. In Snohomish County, Landslide has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High), while Earthquake leads Expected Annual Loss at about $246.7M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Snohomish County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Snohomish County was 2020, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1965 to 2026.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Snohomish County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Snohomish County, Washington has an overall risk score of 97.9 out of 100 (Relatively High). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very Low and community resilience is Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively High, representing $409.2M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Snohomish County?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for Snohomish County is Landslide (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Earthquake (Relatively High) and Ice Storm (Very High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts landslide here at an average of 4.1 times per year. 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.
Flood insurance data comes from the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA claims dataset.
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.
FEMA OpenFEMA declarations + NRI for Snohomish County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Washington profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events