Rhode Island Natural Disaster Risk by County
Of Rhode Island's 5 counties, 0 have a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is Providence County (score 93.7 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $217 million a year.
OpenFEMA lists 28 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Rhode Island since 1954 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4766-RI, Severe Storms and Flooding, declared 20 March 2024.
Live weather alerts for Rhode Island Latest FEMA declarations All official warnings
Most exposed counties, hazard by hazard
Top 10 by FEMA hazard risk scoreHurricane 5 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Providence County | Relatively Moderate | $9.5 million |
| 2 | Kent County | Relatively Moderate | $3.1 million |
| 3 | Washington County | Relatively Moderate | $3.5 million |
| 4 | Newport County | Relatively Low | $2.4 million |
| 5 | Bristol County | Relatively Low | $1.1 million |
Tornado 5 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Providence County | Relatively Moderate | $3.3 million |
| 2 | Kent County | Relatively Low | $930,625 |
| 3 | Washington County | Relatively Low | $664,145 |
| 4 | Newport County | Very Low | $218,890 |
| 5 | Bristol County | Very Low | $141,314 |
Inland flooding 5 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Providence County | Relatively High | $93 million |
| 2 | Kent County | Relatively Moderate | $23 million |
| 3 | Washington County | Relatively Moderate | $22 million |
| 4 | Newport County | Relatively Low | $8.7 million |
| 5 | Bristol County | Relatively Low | $5.6 million |
Coastal flooding 5 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington County | Relatively Moderate | $2.3 million |
| 2 | Bristol County | Relatively Moderate | $1.1 million |
| 3 | Newport County | Relatively Moderate | $753,519 |
| 4 | Kent County | Relatively Low | $532,927 |
| 5 | Providence County | Relatively Low | $305,415 |
Wildfire 5 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Providence County | Very Low | $14,387 |
| 2 | Washington County | Very Low | $12,653 |
| 3 | Kent County | Very Low | $9,236 |
| 4 | Newport County | Very Low | $5,531 |
| 5 | Bristol County | Very Low | $1,695 |
Earthquake 5 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Providence County | Relatively Low | $4.4 million |
| 2 | Kent County | Relatively Low | $1.3 million |
| 3 | Washington County | Relatively Low | $921,493 |
| 4 | Newport County | Very Low | $483,271 |
| 5 | Bristol County | Very Low | $383,929 |
Every Rhode Island county, highest overall risk first
5| # | County | Overall risk | Score | Loss a year | Top hazard | Declarations | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Providence County | Relatively Moderate | 93.7 | $130 million | Heat wave | 23 | 8 |
| 2 | Kent County | Relatively Low | 69.4 | $32 million | Hurricane | 21 | 2 |
| 3 | Washington County | Relatively Low | 64.0 | $32 million | Hurricane | 23 | 2 |
| 4 | Newport County | Very Low | 36.4 | $14 million | Hurricane | 20 | 1 |
| 5 | Bristol County | Very Low | 19.4 | $9.4 million | Hurricane | 18 | 1 |
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 Rhode Island
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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 Rhode Island
Which county in Rhode Island has the highest natural disaster risk?
Of Rhode Island's 5 counties, 0 have a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is Providence County (score 93.7 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $217 million a year.
Which Rhode Island counties are most at risk from tornadoes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index tornado risk score: Providence County, Kent County, Washington County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
Which Rhode Island counties are most at risk from hurricanes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index hurricane risk score: Providence County, Kent County, Washington County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
How many FEMA disaster declarations has Rhode Island had?
OpenFEMA lists 28 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Rhode Island since 1954 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4766-RI, Severe Storms and Flooding, declared 20 March 2024.