Golden Valley County, North Dakota: hazard risk
FEMA rates Golden Valley County's overall risk Very Low (score 13.1 of 100, higher than 13% of rated U.S. counties). Its storm record holds 432 events since 1950.
FEMA's rating for each hazard
These are FEMA's county-wide model ratings and this county's storm record. They are not an assessment of any property, address or building, and not insurance advice: a property's risk depends on its own elevation, construction and location.
FEMA gives each hazard its own rating, and a rating does not follow the score from one hazard to the next: a hazard with a higher score can carry a lower rating than another. The table sorts by FEMA's rating, then by score (0 to 100, the county against every other county for that hazard).
| Hazard | Risk rating | Score | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | 82.3 | $3.6M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | 54.4 | $64K |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 50.4 | $227K |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | 34.7 | $35K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | 21.9 | $172K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 49.2 | $39K |
| Drought | Very Low | 27.7 | $16K |
| Tornado | Very Low | 13.2 | $95K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 11.4 | $30 |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 9.8 | $15K |
| Lightning | Very Low | 7.3 | $20K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 4.2 | $4K |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | 3.1 | $444K |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. A model of future loss, not a count of past events. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
What the record holds
| Hazard | Records | Deaths | Damage | Rank in state | Rank in U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 118 | 0 | $5.4M | 28th of 53 | 2026th of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 86 | 0 | $1.4M | 25th of 53 | 2504th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 81 | 0 | $6.4M | 33rd of 53 | 1811th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 72 | 0 | $26K | 6th of 53 | 584th of 3,080 |
| Drought | 23 | 0 | – | 1st of 53 | 1549th of 3,063 |
| Extreme cold | 21 | 0 | – | 37th of 53 | 1136th of 3,076 |
| Tornadoes | 11 | 0 | $325K | 46th of 53 | 2381st of 3,080 |
| Floods | 6 | 0 | $136K | 47th of 53 | 2956th of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $13K | 6th of 53 | 1608th of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 2 | 0 | – | 15th of 53 | 1924th of 3,080 |
| Heat | 1 | 0 | – | 25th of 53 | 2351st of 3,076 |
| Wildfires | 1 | 0 | – | 9th of 53 | 1151st of 2,972 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Golden Valley County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.