Delaware Natural Disaster Risk by County
Of Delaware's 3 counties, 0 have a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is New Castle County (score 95.3 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $377 million a year.
OpenFEMA lists 24 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Delaware since 1962 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4916-DE, Severe Winter Storm, declared 29 May 2026.
Live weather alerts for Delaware Latest FEMA declarations All official warnings
Most exposed counties, hazard by hazard
Top 10 by FEMA hazard risk scoreHurricane 3 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sussex County | Relatively High | $35 million |
| 2 | Kent County | Relatively Moderate | $10 million |
| 3 | New Castle County | Relatively Moderate | $6.5 million |
Tornado 3 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Castle County | Relatively Moderate | $7.0 million |
| 2 | Kent County | Relatively Moderate | $2.5 million |
| 3 | Sussex County | Relatively Low | $1.6 million |
Inland flooding 3 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Castle County | Relatively High | $150 million |
| 2 | Sussex County | Relatively Moderate | $43 million |
| 3 | Kent County | Relatively Moderate | $24 million |
Coastal flooding 3 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sussex County | Very High | $14 million |
| 2 | New Castle County | Relatively High | $3.7 million |
| 3 | Kent County | Relatively Moderate | $1.1 million |
Wildfire 3 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sussex County | Relatively Low | $538,072 |
| 2 | Kent County | Relatively Low | $126,329 |
| 3 | New Castle County | Very Low | $94,808 |
Earthquake 3 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Castle County | Relatively Moderate | $9.2 million |
| 2 | Sussex County | Relatively Low | $1.5 million |
| 3 | Kent County | Relatively Low | $1.8 million |
Every Delaware county, highest overall risk first
3| # | County | Overall risk | Score | Loss a year | Top hazard | Declarations | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Castle County | Relatively High | 95.3 | $202 million | Winter weather | 15 | 28 |
| 2 | Sussex County | Relatively Moderate | 94.1 | $119 million | Cold wave | 18 | 25 |
| 3 | Kent County | Relatively Moderate | 84.5 | $56 million | Cold wave | 15 | 24 |
Score: FEMA's national percentile (higher = more risk). Declarations: federal declarations that named the county since 1953, not counting COVID-19. Tornadoes: NOAA SPC tornadoes that touched the county, 1950–2025.
Latest federal declarations in Delaware
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What this page shows, and what it misses
FEMA's National Risk Index compares every US county with every other for 18 natural hazards, combining expected losses with social vulnerability and community resilience. It is a planning-level estimate for nationwide comparison, not a flood-zone map and not the risk to any one property — for flood zones use FEMA's Flood Map Service Center ↗. Federal declarations exclude state declarations and SBA or USDA designations.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Risk Index Dataset: National Risk Index Counties - v1.20.0 (December 2025). Retrieved from https://services.arcgis.com/XG15cJAlne2vxtgt/ArcGIS/rest/services/National_Risk_Index_Counties/FeatureServer/0/query on November 2, 2026, 1:20 PM EST. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), OpenFEMA Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2, retrieved from https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries on November 2, 2026, 1:21 PM EST. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Tornado records: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center, Severe Weather Database, tornadoes 1950–2025 (https://www.spc.noaa.gov/wcm/data/1950-2025_actual_tornadoes.csv, downloaded 2 November 2026). Public domain; not endorsed by NOAA. Compiled by Global Incident Tracker.
Questions about Delaware
Which county in Delaware has the highest natural disaster risk?
Of Delaware's 3 counties, 0 have a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is New Castle County (score 95.3 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $377 million a year.
Which Delaware counties are most at risk from tornadoes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index tornado risk score: New Castle County, Kent County, Sussex County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
Which Delaware counties are most at risk from hurricanes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index hurricane risk score: Sussex County, Kent County, New Castle County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
How many FEMA disaster declarations has Delaware had?
OpenFEMA lists 24 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Delaware since 1962 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4916-DE, Severe Winter Storm, declared 29 May 2026.