Ward County, North Dakota: hazard risk
FEMA rates Ward County's overall risk Relatively Low (score 64.8 of 100, higher than 64% of rated U.S. counties); 3 of its 13 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by winter weather, cold wave, ice storm. Its storm record holds 817 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 | Very High | 98.9 | $2.6M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | 95.4 | $18M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | 85.5 | $944K |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 83.9 | $1.7M |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 66.1 | $3.4M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | 61.3 | $1.2M |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 79.4 | $578K |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 77.3 | $18K |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | 41.9 | $7.9M |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 33.3 | $53K |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 29.7 | $202K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 12.4 | $19K |
| Lightning | Very Low | 6.6 | $32K |
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 | 290 | 0 | $98M | 31st of 53 | 2067th of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 196 | 0 | $1.2M | 23rd of 53 | 2486th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 109 | 4 | $9.7M | 48th of 53 | 2212th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 57 | 0 | $915K | 45th of 53 | 1570th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 57 | 1 | $9.7M | 22nd of 53 | 1995th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 38 | 0 | – | 39th of 53 | 1201st of 3,076 |
| Floods | 25 | 0 | $142M | 25th of 53 | 2672nd of 3,080 |
| Drought | 11 | 0 | – | 45th of 53 | 2180th of 3,063 |
| Heavy rain | 6 | 0 | – | 16th of 53 | 1926th of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $358K | 7th of 53 | 1614th of 3,080 |
| Heat | 1 | 0 | – | 50th of 53 | 2452nd of 3,076 |
| Wildfires | 1 | 0 | $480K | 19th of 53 | 1236th 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 Ward County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.