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Natural hazard risk in Montgomery County, Alabama

Updated October 30, 2026. Based on FEMA, NOAA and OpenFEMA data. Published by Humblebee.

FEMA overall Risk Index rating: Relatively Moderate (score 91.8 of 100)[5]

Expected annual loss (FEMA)
$87.3 million[1]
Federal disaster declarations since 1975
22[2]
NFIP flood claims paid, 1978 to 2026
$6.7 million[3]
Tornadoes recorded, 1950 to 2024
60[4]

FEMA's National Risk Index rates overall natural hazard risk in Montgomery County, Alabama as Relatively Moderate, with a Risk Index score of 91.8 out of 100[5]. The hazards with the highest FEMA scores within the county are lightning, tornado and heat wave[6].

FEMA risk ratings for each hazard

Ratings and expected losses from the FEMA National Risk Index. Each rating compares this county with all US counties for that hazard, from Very Low to Very High. They are planning estimates, not predictions, and they do not describe any single property.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates hazards relative to all US counties[7]. FEMA lists $87.3 million in expected annual loss from all 18 natural hazards in the county[1]. Expected Annual Loss is FEMA's estimate of average yearly loss, not money anyone paid[7]. FEMA's largest expected losses come from inland flooding ($51.0 million a year), tornado ($13.3 million a year) and heat wave ($6.8 million a year)[8]. FEMA rates Social Vulnerability Relatively High (score 71.3), which describes how susceptible social groups are to harm from natural hazards[9]. FEMA rates Community Resilience Relatively High (score 72.4), which describes a community's ability to prepare for, withstand and recover from hazards[10].

Hazards sorted by FEMA hazard-type Risk Index score, highest first
HazardFEMA risk ratingExpected annual loss
LightningVery High$2.0 million[11]
TornadoRelatively High$13.3 million[12]
Heat WaveRelatively High$6.8 million[13]
Strong WindRelatively High$2.6 million[14]
Inland FloodingRelatively High$51.0 million[15]
EarthquakeRelatively Moderate$6.3 million[16]
HurricaneRelatively Moderate$4.1 million[17]
HailRelatively Moderate$580,000[18]
Ice StormRelatively Moderate$152,000[19]
DroughtRelatively Low$182,000[20]
LandslideVery Low$1,305[21]
WildfireVery Low$41,000[22]
Winter WeatherRelatively Low$28,000[23]
Cold WaveVery Low$204,000[24]

Rated Not Applicable by FEMA for this county: avalanche, coastal flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity[25].

Social vulnerability and community resilience

FEMA uses these two ratings to scale expected losses into the Risk Index.

FEMA measureRatingScore
Social vulnerabilityRelatively High71.3[9]
Community resilienceRelatively High72.4[10]

Flooding and flood insurance

FEMA rates inland flooding risk Relatively High compared with other US counties, with an Expected Annual Loss of $51.0 million a year[15]. OpenFEMA lists 725 residential flood insurance contracts in force, out of 82,954 residential structures, as of 2026-08-03[26]. Inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area, 12.7% of homes are insured[26]. OpenFEMA records 417 NFIP claims for losses from 1978 to 2026, and NFIP paid $6.7 million in total[3]. To check a specific address, use FEMA's Flood Map Service Center[27].

Measure Value
Inland Flooding, FEMA risk rating[15] Relatively High, $51.0 million expected loss a year
NFIP residential flood policies in force (2026)[26] 725 of 82,954 homes
Homes in FEMA's mapped high-risk flood area (SFHA)[26] 2,935, of which 374 insured
NFIP flood claims, 1978 to 2026[3] 417 filed, $6.7 million paid

Is a specific address in a flood zone? Only FEMA's flood maps answer that, property by property[27]. This page describes the whole county.

Search an address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center

Disaster declarations and tornado records

OpenFEMA lists 22 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Montgomery County since 1975[2]. Hurricanes account for 10 of them[2]. The most recent listed is Hurricane Helene, declared 2024-09-26[28]. NOAA's tornado database records 60 tornadoes touching the county from 1950 to 2024, and the most recent was on 2024-12-29[4].

Federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Montgomery County, since 1975
Incident type Declarations
Hurricane[2] 10
Severe Storm[2] 6
Tornado[2] 2
Flood[2] 2
Drought[2] 1
Snowstorm[2] 1
Most recent declarations
Declaration Incident Declared
EM-3618-AL[28] Hurricane Helene 2024-09-26
EM-3545-AL[28] Hurricane Sally 2020-09-14
EM-3407-AL[28] Hurricane Michael 2018-10-12
EM-3394-AL[28] Hurricane Nate 2017-10-08
EM-3389-AL[28] Hurricane Irma 2017-09-11

How to prepare

Steps from Ready.gov, FEMA's preparedness site, for the hazards with the highest FEMA ratings here. Follow instructions from local officials and the National Weather Service when a warning is issued.

Tornadoes

Before

  • Learn the warning signs: a rotating funnel cloud, an approaching cloud of debris or a loud roar like a freight train.
  • Sign up for community warning systems and learn what your local sirens sound like.
  • Pick a safe spot, such as a safe room built to FEMA criteria or an ICC 500 storm shelter, and practice getting there.
  • Include your pets in the household emergency plan.
  • Keep supplies, food, water and medication in case you have to stay home for a long time.

During

  • Go right away to the safe place you picked in advance.
  • Protect your head and neck with your arms and stay away from windows, doors and outside walls.
  • No place in a car is fully safe. If you can get lower than the road, leave the car and lie down there.

Source: Ready.gov, tornadoes

Extreme heat

Before

  • Learn the signs of heat illness and how to respond.
  • Do not rely on a fan as your main way to stay cool. Fans do not lower body temperature.
  • Find cool public places, such as libraries or malls, or ask your local health department.
  • Keep heat out with window shades, weather stripping and insulation.
  • If you cannot afford cooling costs, contact LIHEAP for help.

During

  • Never leave a person or an animal in a parked car in warm weather.
  • If your home has no air conditioning, go to a cooling center.
  • Wear light, loose clothing, drink plenty of fluids and avoid hard outdoor work in the middle of the day.

Source: Ready.gov, extreme heat

Floods

Before

  • Check your flood risk with FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, and remember that floods do not follow map lines.
  • Sign up for your community's warning system. NOAA Weather Radio also broadcasts alerts.
  • Buy flood insurance through the NFIP well before a disaster. Homeowners policies do not cover flooding, and a new policy typically takes up to 30 days to go into effect.
  • Make a household plan with evacuation routes, shelter locations and what to do in a flash flood.
  • Keep important documents in a waterproof container and make password-protected digital copies.

During

  • If you are told to evacuate, leave right away and never drive around barricades.
  • Do not walk, swim or drive through floodwater. Six inches of moving water can knock you down.
  • If you are trapped in a building, go to the highest level, but do not climb into a closed attic.

Source: Ready.gov, floods

Questions people ask

Is Montgomery County, Alabama at risk of flooding?
FEMA rates inland flooding risk Relatively High compared with other US counties, and it is the largest source of expected annual loss at $51.0 million a year[15][8]. FEMA's index does not predict next year's losses[7].
Is Montgomery County at risk of tornadoes?
FEMA rates tornado risk Relatively High compared with other US counties[12]. NOAA's tornado database records 60 tornadoes touching the county from 1950 to 2024[4].
Is Montgomery County at risk of earthquakes or wildfire?
FEMA rates earthquake risk Relatively Moderate[16] and wildfire risk Very Low compared with other US counties[22].
How many disasters have been declared in Montgomery County?
OpenFEMA lists 22 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include the county since 1975[2].
How do I check the flood zone of an address?
Look up the address in FEMA's Flood Map Service Center or ask the local floodplain manager[27]. County ratings do not show the flood zone of a single address[27].

Facts and sources

  1. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Expected Annual Loss from all 18 natural hazards in Montgomery County is $87.3 million a year (Expected Annual Loss rating Relatively Moderate, score 89.5). Of this, buildings account for $65.4 million, injuries and deaths (converted to dollars by FEMA) for... FEMA National Risk Index
  2. OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries list 22 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Montgomery County since 1975 (10 major disaster, 12 emergency or fire management). By incident type: hurricane 10, severe storm 6, tornado 2, flood 2, drought 1, snowstorm 1. Biological (such as COVID-19)... OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations
  3. HazardFacts tally of OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims (losses from 1978 to 2026): 417 National Flood Insurance Program claims were filed for losses in Montgomery County, 278 of them with a payment, and NFIP paid $6.7 million in total (building, contents and increased cost of compliance, in dollars of the year paid).... OpenFEMA NFIP claims
  4. NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950 to 2024): 60 recorded tornadoes touched Montgomery County. The strongest were rated F4 (most recent of them on 1969-04-18). 3 were rated F3/EF3 or stronger. The most recent recorded tornado was on 2024-12-29. Ratings used the Fujita scale until early 2007 and the... NOAA Storm Prediction Center
  5. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): the overall natural hazard Risk Index rating for Montgomery County is Relatively Moderate, with a Risk Index score of 91.8 out of 100. The score is the county's percentile rank among all US counties. FEMA National Risk Index
  6. Among the 18 hazards in the FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), the hazards with the highest hazard-type Risk Index scores for Montgomery County are lightning (97.0, Very High), tornado (96.5, Relatively High), heat wave (96.5, Relatively High). HazardFacts sorted FEMA's published scores; FEMA's... FEMA National Risk Index
  7. FEMA's National Risk Index FAQ (December 2025): Expected Annual Loss is FEMA's estimate of the average economic loss in dollars from natural hazards each year. The index is not meant to predict how much damage a community will have in the next year, and a hazard can still cause damage where a rating is low. Scores... FEMA National Risk Index documentation
  8. HazardFacts sorted FEMA's hazard-type Expected Annual Loss values for Montgomery County (National Risk Index v1.20): the largest are inland flooding ($51.0 million a year), tornado ($13.3 million a year), heat wave ($6.8 million a year), out of $87.3 million a year from all 18 hazards. FEMA National Risk Index
  9. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Social Vulnerability rating for Montgomery County is Relatively High (score 71.3). FEMA describes social vulnerability as how susceptible social groups are to the harm natural hazards cause. FEMA National Risk Index
  10. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Community Resilience rating for Montgomery County is Relatively High (score 72.4). FEMA describes community resilience as a community's ability to prepare for, withstand and recover from hazards. FEMA National Risk Index
  11. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), lightning in Montgomery County: Risk Index rating Very High (score 97.0 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $2.0 million a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 69.09 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 24 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  12. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), tornado in Montgomery County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 96.5 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $13.3 million a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 0.7 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 38 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  13. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), heat wave in Montgomery County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 96.5 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $6.8 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 9.79 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18... FEMA National Risk Index
  14. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), strong wind in Montgomery County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 95.7 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $2.6 million a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 1.4 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 38 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  15. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), inland flooding in Montgomery County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 94.0 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $51.0 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 1.36 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of... FEMA National Risk Index
  16. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), earthquake in Montgomery County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 92.4 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $6.3 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 0.0019 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  17. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), hurricane in Montgomery County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 87.3 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $4.1 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 0.09 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of... FEMA National Risk Index
  18. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), hail in Montgomery County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 76.3 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $580,000 a year (rating Relatively Low). Annualized frequency 2.11 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 37 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  19. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), ice storm in Montgomery County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 67.4 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $152,000 a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 0.42 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 68... FEMA National Risk Index
  20. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), drought in Montgomery County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 56.8 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $182,000 a year (rating Relatively Low). Annualized frequency 32.1 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 22 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  21. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), landslide in Montgomery County: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 52.9 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $1,305 a year (rating Very Low). FEMA National Risk Index
  22. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), wildfire in Montgomery County: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 51.6 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $41,000 a year (rating Very Low). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 0.0005 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  23. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), winter weather in Montgomery County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 33.5 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $28,000 a year (rating Relatively Low). Annualized frequency 1.05 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  24. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), cold wave in Montgomery County: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 21.6 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $204,000 a year (rating Relatively Low). Annualized frequency 0.37 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  25. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025) rates these hazards Not Applicable for Montgomery County: avalanche, coastal flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity. FEMA uses Not Applicable when its source data has no historical record of the hazard in the community and the hazard is not considered... FEMA National Risk Index documentation
  26. NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (OpenFEMA, as of 2026-08-03): 725 residential flood insurance contracts were in force in Montgomery County, out of 82,954 residential structures, a penetration rate of 0.9%. Inside FEMA's mapped Special Flood Hazard Area there were 2,935 residential structures and 374 contracts, a... OpenFEMA NFIP penetration rates
  27. FEMA's Flood Map Service Center is the official public source for flood maps (Flood Insurance Rate Maps) produced under the National Flood Insurance Program. Flood zones apply to specific properties: look up an address there or ask the local floodplain manager. County-level ratings do not tell you the flood zone of... FEMA Flood Map Service Center
  28. Most recent federal disaster declarations for natural hazards (table on this page). OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations

FEMA's National Risk Index compares each county with all other US counties. Ratings are relative (Very Low to Very High), not a measure of safety. Never call a place safe, unsafe, good or bad to live in. Risk Index and Expected Annual Loss values are FEMA estimates for planning. They do not predict next year's losses and do not apply to a single property. Flood zones are set by FEMA flood maps for specific properties. County ratings and flood insurance counts do not tell anyone whether an address is in a flood zone. Disaster declaration, NFIP and tornado counts are records of the past for this county only. Do not compare with other counties unless a fact does.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Risk Index Dataset: National Risk Index Counties, v1.20 (December 2025). Retrieved from fema.maps.arcgis.com on October 30, 2026. 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). This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.