Ottawa County, Michigan: hazard risk
FEMA rates Ottawa County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 82.9 of 100, higher than 82% of rated U.S. counties); 1 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by strong wind. Its storm record holds 530 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | 97.8 | $6.9M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 88.0 | $45M |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 87.7 | $8.5M |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 83.8 | $1.5M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | 82.0 | $317K |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | 77.5 | $469K |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 76.5 | $867K |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | 73.4 | $3.4M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 63.6 | $939K |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 61.3 | $665K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 51.8 | $2K |
| Coastal Flooding | Very Low | 35.2 | $12K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 34.4 | $26K |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 26.4 | $15K |
| Drought | No Rating | 0.0 | $0 |
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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 189 | 5 | $86M | 19th of 83 | 1096th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 159 | 0 | $5.0M | 16th of 83 | 394th of 3,077 |
| Hail | 108 | 0 | $1.3M | 7th of 83 | 1176th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 25 | 14 | $36M | 13th of 83 | 1084th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 23 | 2 | $75M | 16th of 83 | 1869th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 20 | 0 | $24M | 23rd of 83 | 1277th of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $109K | 23rd of 83 | 1177th of 3,080 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 1 | 1 | – | 16th of 83 | 191st of 2,080 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Ottawa County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.