Knox County, Maine: hazard risk
FEMA rates Knox County's overall risk Very Low (score 28.6 of 100, higher than 28% of rated U.S. counties); 2 of its 16 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by winter weather, ice storm. Its storm record holds 396 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 90.5 | $525K |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | 89.2 | $1.1M |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 82.9 | $3.8M |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 69.2 | $1.3M |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 85.7 | $41K |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 49.7 | $287K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | 38.5 | $495K |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 35.8 | $56K |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | 28.0 | $466K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 45.9 | $279K |
| Avalanche | Very Low | 30.0 | $135 |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | 21.4 | $3.2M |
| Hail | Very Low | 20.5 | $91K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 16.8 | $7K |
| Tornado | Very Low | 12.8 | $133K |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 11.5 | $28K |
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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 166 | 0 | $6.3M | 2nd of 16 | 148th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 63 | 1 | $183K | 2nd of 16 | 166th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 53 | 0 | $21M | 4th of 16 | 832nd of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 38 | 0 | – | 8th of 16 | 2533rd of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 22 | 0 | – | 2nd of 16 | 396th of 3,076 |
| Drought | 21 | 0 | $1.3M | 2nd of 16 | 807th of 3,063 |
| Hail | 11 | 0 | $245K | 11th of 16 | 2757th of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 9 | 0 | $756K | 5th of 16 | 286th of 3,080 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 6 | 0 | $69K | 4th of 16 | 363rd of 1,849 |
| Heat | 2 | 0 | – | 6th of 16 | 1836th of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 1 | 0 | – | 5th of 16 | 1708th of 3,080 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 1 | 0 | $1.1M | 1st of 16 | 226th of 2,278 |
| Tornadoes | 1 | 0 | $201K | 12th of 16 | 2762nd of 3,080 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Knox County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.