Hazard Plain Automated baseline

Howard County, IA

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
19089
Release:
2026-10
Data as of:
2026-09-30
Storm Events data through:
2026-06-30

Hazard Plain is an independent product built from public federal data. It is not a FEMA document and is not reviewed or endorsed by FEMA or any state agency.

Hazard Plain release 2026-10, as of 2026-09-30.

Summary

Plan status as of 2026-09-30: No county-level plan row in FEMA data.

Highest expected annual loss (FEMA National Risk Index, modeled total; see B1-a): Inland Flooding ($4,472,414 a year), Tornado ($1,331,214) and Drought ($1,259,617).

The tables that follow are organized by the items of FEMA's Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool, Element B (B1-a to B2-c); each heading says which item its tables support.

Plan clock

No county-level plan row in FEMA data

What changed since your last plan

Not available. No county-level plan row in FEMA data, so there is no approval date to count from.

Sources: 1, 2, 4, 6 (numbered list at the end)

Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county

Source: 1

JurisdictionTypeStatusPlanApprovedExpiresDays to expirynegative = days since expiryNotes
Protivin cityCityApproved, expires 2029-12-05Chickasaw County Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110136)2024-12-062029-12-051,162this jurisdiction approved 2024-12-05
Riceville cityCityApproved, expires 2028-03-28Mitchell County Multi-Jurisdictional HM Plan (FEMA plan 108874)2023-03-292028-03-28545this jurisdiction approved 2023-07-12

State plan status and tribal plans in this state: see the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-a: hazard identification

Hazards NRI does not cover (local data needed)

  • dam failure (incl. upstream dams)
  • levee failure
  • flash flood as its own subtype
  • ice jams
  • debris flows
  • erosion (riverine and coastal)
  • land subsidence and sinkholes
  • expansive soils

The 18 National Risk Index hazards, ranked by expected annual loss (EAL)

Sources: 5, 6

Rank by EALHazardNRI risk ratingEAL ratingEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL total (see note)modeled dollars per yearStorm Events records, 1996 to 2026-06-30countStorm Events coverage note
1Inland FloodingVery LowRelatively Low$4,343,263$122,744$6,406$4,472,41434
2TornadoRelatively LowRelatively Low$867,811$7,098$456,306$1,331,21425
3DroughtRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderaten/a$1,259,617n/a$1,259,61724
4Strong WindRelatively LowRelatively Moderate$287,132$366,324$113,012$766,468102Includes 16 High Wind and 3 Strong Wind records (NOAA non-thunderstorm wind types, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition).
5HailRelatively LowRelatively Low$246,614$298,369$24,082$569,06475
6Cold WaveRelatively LowRelatively Low$1,243$303,740$241,632$546,61531
7LightningVery LowRelatively Low$12,066n/a$97,857$109,9245
8Heat WaveVery LowVery Low$2,980$4$63,412$66,39612
9Winter WeatherRelatively LowRelatively Low$16,969$660$25,598$43,22792
10Ice StormVery LowRelatively Low$16,134n/a$10,522$26,6554
11EarthquakeVery LowVery Low$8,352n/a$1,470$9,822Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
12WildfireVery LowVery Low$3,937$96$408$4,4410No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
13HurricaneVery LowVery Low$659$1,937under $1$2,5970No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
14LandslideVery LowVery Low$10n/a$208$2180No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).

Total = buildings + agriculture + population equivalence; FEMA values each expected death (or 10 injuries) at $13.7 million (2024 dollars).

NRI risk rating combines expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience; EAL rating rates expected annual loss alone. Both compare this county with all U.S. counties.

Local data needed: state and local wildfire and landslide records (Storm Events records these hazards only in part).

Not applicable to this county per NRI, with no federal declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996: avalanche, coastal flooding, tsunami and volcanic activity. That is the evidence for leaving them out of the plan.

The state hazard mitigation plan also lists hazards for this county; FEMA asks the plan to explain any hazard it leaves out.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-b: hazard location

Affects the whole county (national data give no location within it): Cold Wave, Drought, Hail, Heat Wave, Ice Storm, Lightning, Strong Wind and Winter Weather.

Inland Flooding: The FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) is the required location source for flooding. See the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (https://msc.fema.gov) for this county.

Hazards that vary within the county: highest-rated census tracts

Source: 5

HazardHighest-rated census tractsNRI risk rating, score 0 to 100
Earthquaketract 9603 (Very Low, 14.8); tract 9602 (Very Low, 12.9); tract 9601 (Very Low, 12.1)
Hurricanetract 9602 (Very Low, 36.2); tract 9603 (Very Low, 35.9); tract 9601 (Very Low, 22.5)
Landslidetract 9602 (Relatively Low, 84.1); tract 9603 (Very Low, 76.2); tract 9601 (Very Low, 40.4)
Tornadotract 9603 (Very High, 96.6); tract 9602 (Relatively High, 92.0); tract 9601 (Relatively High, 85.9)
Wildfiretract 9602 (Relatively Low, 74.6); tract 9603 (Relatively Low, 71.6); tract 9601 (Very Low, 51.1)

Up to 3 census tracts per hazard, highest National Risk Index rating first, then highest score; a tract number is the Census tract number (for example 9603 is Census Tract 9603). FEMA's Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool maps the National Risk Index for every tract: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/resilience-analysis-and-planning-tool

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-c: hazard extent

Extent: scale, observed range and worst recorded event per hazard

Sources: 6, 7

HazardScaleRecordscount and yearsObserved rangeWorst recorded eventMost damaging (when different)How it applies to jurisdictionsNote
Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chillwind chill31 records, 1996 to 2026 (31 zone-level)1 day to 6 days (median 2 days); 27 with a recorded value6 consecutive days, 2010-01-01 to 2010-01-06, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).Cold/Wind Chill records from May to September (a frost night, not a cold wave) are counted but not used for the longest run.
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage0
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)24 records, 2012 to 2024 (24 zone-level)17 days to 281 days (median 158.5 days); 4 with a recorded value281 days (about 9.2 months), 2023-08-15 to 2024-05-21, a run of 10 consecutive Storm Events drought records, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).Storm Events enters a drought at D2 or worse east of the Rockies and D3 or worse from the Rockies west (NWS Instruction 10-1605); NRI drought counts D3 and D4 only.
EarthquakeModified Mercalli (local data)0Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hailhail size (inches)97 records, 1955 to 20260.75 in to 3.5 in (median 0.88 in); 96 with a recorded value3.5 in hail, 2026-04-14Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Protivin city (11 records), Riceville city (7 records).
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)12 records, 1999 to 2026 (12 zone-level)1 day to 9 days (median 3 days); 11 with a recorded value9 consecutive days, 2001-07-31 to 2001-08-08, zone-levelExcessive Heat, 2011-07-17, $15,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2011 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).
Hurricane, Tropical Storm, Tropical DepressionSaffir-Simpson0Storm Events files every zone of a storm's episode under the storm's type; flooding from the storm is filed as Flood or Flash Flood records.
Ice StormSperry-Piltz ice scale (local data)4 records, 1998 to 2005 (4 zone-level)No damage reported in 4 records.Countywide (zone-level records).
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)34 records, 1998 to 2024 (1 zone-level)Flood, 2008-06-07, $750,000 property; $1,000,000 crops (2008 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Protivin city (6 records), Riceville city (4 records). Zone-level records (1) apply countywide.Flood depth: see the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map. Storm Events damage is often $0 or blank for floods, major ones included; FEMA Public Assistance by declaration (B1-d) shows which floods cost the most.
Debris Flownone (count and damage only)0
Lightningannualized frequency (the measure FEMA's Local Mitigation Planning Handbook names)5 records, 2003 to 2018Lightning, 2018-09-04, $50,000 property; $0 crops (2018 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Riceville city (2 records).Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties.
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)19 records, 1996 to 2026 (19 zone-level)35 kt (40 mph) to 78 kt (90 mph) (median 52 kt (60 mph)); 19 with a recorded value78 kt (90 mph), measurement type not recorded, High Wind, 1998-11-10; NWS zone IAZ009Countywide (zone-level records).
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)111 records, 1962 to 202540 kt (46 mph) to 85 kt (98 mph) (median 55 kt (63 mph)); 92 with a recorded value85 kt (98 mph), measurement type not recorded, Thunderstorm Wind, 1994-07-19Thunderstorm Wind, 2011-09-02, $0 property; $7,500,000 crops (2011 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Riceville city (9 records), Protivin city (3 records).
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)44 records, 1953 to 2026F/EF0 to F/EF5 (median between F/EF0 and F/EF1); 44 with a recorded valueF5 tornado, 1968-05-15, 18.6 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 600 yd wide, $2,500 property; crops not recorded (1968 dollars), 12 direct injuriesTornado, 1971-07-12, $2,500,000 property; crops not recorded (1971 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Riceville city (5 records), Protivin city (1 record).Before 1996 a tornado is listed once, under the county where it began, with its whole path's rating and length; from 1996 on, each county lists its own segment. Length is not used to rank tornadoes (see Methods).
Wildfireacres burned (local data)0
Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleetnone in data (snowfall: local data)92 records, 1996 to 2026 (92 zone-level)Winter Storm, 2007-02-23, $80,000 property; $0 crops (2007 dollars); NWS zone IAZ009Countywide (zone-level records).

In event narratives only (local data needed): wind chill, temperature, heat index, ice thickness, acres burned and snow depth; any physical measure of debris flow and lightning.

Storm Events records are more complete after 1996; before 1996 only Tornado (from 1950), Hail and Thunderstorm Wind (from 1955) exist. Zone-level records from zones that no NWS zone-county file places in this county (mostly before 2020) are not counted here (the Methods page explains the zone matching).

Dollars are nominal (as reported), labeled with the year; not adjusted for inflation.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-d: previous occurrences

Federal declarations for this county: 23 declarations covering 20 separate hazard incidents counted in this packet (declarations for the same incident count once; non-natural and evacuation-only declarations are not counted).

No county-level plan row in FEMA data, so there is no approval date to count from.

Federal disaster declarations for this county

Sources: 1, 2, 3

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazardCounty Public Assistancefederal share obligated, nominal dollarsFlagsNotes
2024-06-242024-06-16DR-4796-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, and TornadoesInland Flooding; Strong Wind; Tornado$34,898.69within last 5 years
2022-02-232021-12-15DR-4642-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and TornadoesStrong Wind; Tornado$67,413.21within last 5 years
2020-03-232020-01-20DR-4483-IAMajor disasterCOVID-19 PandemicNon-natural, not counted$22,097.89
2020-03-132020-01-20EM-3480-IAEmergencyCOVID-19Non-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4483
2019-03-232019-03-12DR-4421-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms and FloodingInland Flooding$118,566.35
2018-08-202018-06-06DR-4386-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingInland Flooding; Strong Wind; Tornado$102,328.55
2016-10-312016-09-21DR-4289-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms and FloodingInland Flooding$85,128.47
2016-09-292016-08-23DR-4281-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Strong Wind$833,472.11
2015-07-312015-06-20DR-4234-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingInland Flooding; Strong Wind; Tornado$136,232.50
2013-07-312013-06-21DR-4135-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornado$42,000.22
2013-07-022013-05-19DR-4126-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornado$34,462.30
2010-07-292010-06-01DR-1930-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, and TornadoesInland Flooding; Tornado$64,518.54
2008-05-272008-05-25DR-1763-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornado$1,177,255.38
2007-03-142007-02-23DR-1688-IAMajor disasterSevere Winter StormsWinter Weather$137,089.71
2005-09-102005-08-29EM-3239-IAEmergencyHurricane Katrina EvacuationHurricane: evacuation support, not a local hazard event; not countedno Public Assistance recorded
2004-05-252004-05-19DR-1518-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornado$207,740.26
1999-07-221999-07-02DR-1282-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms and FloodingInland Flooding$77,401.84
1998-07-021998-06-13DR-1230-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes and FloodingInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Tornadono Public Assistance recorded
1993-07-091993-04-13DR-996-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1990-09-061990-07-25DR-879-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1972-08-181972-08-18DR-348-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1969-08-141969-08-14DR-269-IAMajor disasterHeavy Rains & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1968-05-291968-05-29DR-240-IAMajor disasterTornadoes & Severe StormsTornadono Public Assistance recorded

County Public Assistance: applicants the FEMA record places in this county, including any state agencies FEMA files there; statewide rows are listed on the state page; federal share obligated, nominal dollars.

Statewide declarations

Source: 2

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazard
1962-09-051962-09-05DR-133-IAMajor disasterFloodsInland Flooding
1961-03-311961-03-31DR-111-IAMajor disasterFloodsInland Flooding
1958-07-051958-07-05DR-86-IAMajor disasterFloodsInland Flooding
1954-06-231954-06-23DR-17-IAMajor disasterFloodInland Flooding
1953-06-111953-06-11DR-8-IAMajor disasterFloodInland Flooding

FEMA recorded these with designated area Statewide and no county, so they are listed on every county page in the state and not counted with county rows. Local data needed: whether each one affected this county.

Public Assistance filed under this county for declarations that do not list it: 1 row, $69,802.73

Sources: 2, 3

FEMA numberDeclaredTitleApplicantPA obligatedfederal share obligated, nominal dollars
DR-4334-IA2017-08-27Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingMi Energy Cooperative$69,802.73

FEMA's Public Assistance summaries file these applicants under this county, but FEMA's declaration rows for these disasters do not designate it (an electric cooperative or district serving several counties, for example). Not in any declaration row above and not counted.

Public Assistance not placed in any Iowa county: 11 rows, $7,881,708.52; listed on the Iowa state page.

Source: 3

Previous occurrences by hazard, with explicit no-event rows

Sources: 2, 6, 7

HazardStorm Events records, all years on file(years in the Period column)Since plan approvalrecordsIn the 12 months before plan approvalrecordsLast 5 yearsrecordsDeclared incidents, all yearsseparate disastersDeclared since approvalseparate disastersPeriodStatement
Cold Wave31901996 to 2026-06-30
Drought241101996 to 2026-06-30
Earthquake000Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail97501955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave12301996 to 2026-06-30
Hurricane0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Ice Storm4001996 to 2026-06-30
Inland Flooding342171996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Lightning5001996 to 2026-06-30
Strong Wind1302151955 to 2026-06-30Includes 16 High Wind and 3 Strong Wind records.
Tornado447111950 to 2026-06-30
Wildfire0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Winter Weather921211996 to 2026-06-30

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationFlagsWhy listed
2026-04-14Hail3.5 in$250,000 property; $0 crops (2026 dollars)0, 0ELMAwithin last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Hail
2023-08-15Drought$0 property; crops not reported (zone total, 2023 dollars)0, 0NWS zone IAZ009 (HOWARD), zone-levelwithin last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Drought
2018-09-04Lightning$50,000 property; $0 crops (2018 dollars)0, 0CRESCOB1-c worst recorded: Lightning
2010-01-01Extreme Cold/Wind Chill$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2010 dollars)0, 0NWS zone IAZ009 (HOWARD), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
2008-06-07Flood$750,000 property; $1,000,000 crops (2008 dollars)0, 0PROTIVIN to ELMAB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood
2007-02-23Winter Storm$80,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2007 dollars)0, 0NWS zone IAZ009 (HOWARD), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleet
2001-07-31Heatdamage not reported0, 0NWS zone IAZ009 (HOWARD), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Excessive Heat, Heat
1998-11-10High Wind78 kt (90 mph), measurement type not recorded$185,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 1998 dollars)0, 0NWS zone IAZ009 (HOWARD), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: High Wind and Strong Wind
1994-07-19Thunderstorm Wind85 kt (98 mph), measurement type not recorded$500,000 property; $5,000 crops (1994 dollars)0, 0CrescoB1-c worst recorded: Thunderstorm Wind
1971-07-12TornadoF4, 2.3 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 1,320 yd wide$2,500,000 property; crops not recorded (1971 dollars)0, 4location not recordeddeaths or injuries recorded
1968-05-15TornadoF5, 18.6 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 600 yd wide$2,500 property; crops not recorded (1968 dollars)0, 12location not recordeddeaths or injuries recorded
1965-05-05TornadoF4, 19.9 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 200 yd wide$25,000 property; crops not recorded (1965 dollars)0, 5location not recordeddeaths or injuries recorded

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (473 rows).

Location is the place NOAA recorded, as written in its data; it need not be a jurisdiction in this plan.

Local data needed: state-declared emergencies, from your state emergency management agency (federal data do not include them).

Tribal and special-area declarations in this state are listed on the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-e: probability of future events

Probability: FEMA annualized frequency and descriptor per hazard

Sources: 5, 6

HazardFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)unit per rowUnitIn plain termsDescriptorDescriptor basisNRI events or days in its record period (hail, wind and tornado are area-weighted, so can be fractional)NRI periodLocationNote
Cold Wave9.68event-days per yearabout 9.68 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 15 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (50%)1842005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Drought15.8event-days per yearabout 15.8 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 5 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (16.7%)4412000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywide
Earthquake0.000405annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 0.0405%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail4.58events per yearabout 4.58 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)174.2 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Wave3.84event-days per yearabout 3.84 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 8 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (26.7%)612005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Hurricane0.01events per yearabout 1 in 100 yearsPossibleFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)01851 to 2024 (Atlantic)see B1-fNRI counts hurricane and tropical storm tracks passing within storm-force wind range; federal declarations are in B1-d.
Ice Storm0.742event-days per yearabout 0.742 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 3 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (10%)501946-12-31 to 2014-02-12 (67 years)countywide
Inland Flooding1.04event-days per yearabout 1.04 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 17 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (56.7%)291996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide0.0517events per year (modeled)about 1 in 19 yearsPossibleFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning38.3days per year with a strikeabout 38.3 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind3.76events per yearabout 3.76 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)1431986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.337events per yearabout 1 in 3 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Wildfire0.0000983annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 0.00983%Storm Events records in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor: no Storm Events record 1996 to 2025
Winter Weather18.7event-days per yearabout 18.7 days per yearHighly likelyStorm Events event-days in 29 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (96.7%)3552005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide

FEMA annualized frequency (modeled) is the National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025) estimate of how often a hazard affects this county in a year; it is not recorded events divided by years, and its unit differs by hazard (events, event-days, or days with a lightning strike per year). For earthquake, wildfire, coastal flooding and tsunami the value is the chance (or number of events) at a location in the county, not across the county, so no "1 in N years" is given and the descriptor comes from Storm Events where it has a record (none for earthquake). The Methods page gives each hazard's method, from FEMA's National Risk Index Technical Documentation v1.20.

Where NRI gives event-days, the descriptor comes from the share of years with a Storm Events record; NRI's source records more events, so the two differ.

Descriptor scale used in this packet (defined per unit)

Sources: 5, 6

UnitDescriptorDefinition
events per yearHighly likely1 or more per year
events per yearLikelyabout once in 1 to 10 years
events per yearPossibleabout once in 10 to 100 years
events per yearUnlikelyless than once in 100 years
annual probabilityLikely10% to under 100% chance in a given year
annual probabilityPossible1% to under 10% chance in a given year
annual probabilityUnlikelyunder 1% chance in a given year
event-days (share of years)Highly likelyevent-days recorded in 90% or more of years
event-days (share of years)Likelyevent-days recorded in 10% to under 90% of years
event-days (share of years)Possibleevent-days recorded in some years but under 10% of years
lightning strike-daysHighly likelycloud-to-ground strikes on 1 or more days per year

Intensity bands: historical frequency (Storm Events)

Source: 6

HazardBandYearsEventscounty-coded recordsYears in periodEvents per yearevents / years
Hail1.00-1.99 in1996 to 202533301.1
Hail2.00 in+1996 to 20252300.0667
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 202573302.43
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)65 kt+1996 to 20253300.1
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)unmeasured or below 50 kt1996 to 20257300.233
TornadoEF0-11996 to 202522300.733
TornadoEF2-31996 to 20252300.0667
TornadoEF4-51996 to 20250300
Tornadounrated (EFU)1996 to 20250300

The bands show how often events of each severity were recorded in this county, to profile how severe events have been (FEMA's probability item asks for the range of intensities).

Hail smaller than 1 inch is not counted: on 2010-01-05 the National Weather Service raised its severe-hail threshold from 3/4 inch to 1 inch, so smaller reports became less common after 2009 (NWS Service Change Notice 09-52). NRI hail frequency uses a 0.75 inch threshold.

Optional: future conditions. Not a required item in the 2025 FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide; some states ask for it. The federal Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) site gives county exposure to future climate conditions (https://resilience.climate.gov/).

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-f: hazards that vary across jurisdictions

Range of census tract risk within the county

Source: 5

HazardTractsrated of allNRI risk score, 0 to 100Tracts by rating
MinMedianMax
Cold Wave3 of 365.084.685.4Relatively High 2, Relatively Moderate 1
Drought3 of 387.798.899.1Relatively High 2, Relatively Low 1
Earthquake3 of 312.112.914.8Very Low 3
Hail3 of 385.997.397.3Relatively High 2, Relatively Moderate 1
Heat Wave3 of 327.729.833.5Relatively Low 3
Hurricane3 of 322.535.936.2Very Low 3
Ice Storm3 of 361.866.767.9Relatively Low 3
Inland Flooding3 of 329.992.596.4Very High 1, Relatively High 1, Relatively Low 1
Landslide3 of 340.476.284.1Relatively Low 1, Very Low 2
Lightning3 of 382.185.285.6Relatively High 3
Strong Wind3 of 391.299.099.1Very High 2, Relatively High 1
Tornado3 of 385.992.096.6Very High 1, Relatively High 2
Wildfire3 of 351.171.674.6Relatively Low 2, Very Low 1
Winter Weather3 of 386.187.589.2Relatively High 3

Cold Wave: Agriculture is 56% of NRI's expected annual loss for this hazard in the county, so the tract range mostly reflects where crop and livestock value is.

Drought: Agriculture is all of NRI's expected annual loss for this hazard in the county, so the tract range mostly reflects where crop and livestock value is.

Hail: Agriculture is 52% of NRI's expected annual loss for this hazard in the county, so the tract range mostly reflects where crop and livestock value is.

Rated tracts only: No Rating (score 0.0), Not Applicable and Insufficient Data tracts are counted but not used for the minimum, median and maximum.

The score ranks a tract against all U.S. tracts (100 = highest). The rating is FEMA's category for the tract's risk value, computed differently, so the two can disagree.

Frequency data for cold wave, drought, hail, heat wave, ice storm, lightning, strong wind and winter weather are county-wide or coarse (49 km grid or NWS zone), the same for every jurisdiction; the tract range mostly reflects where buildings and people are (crop and livestock value where a line above names agriculture).

This county has 3 census tracts; the minimum, median and maximum come from those 3.

Each jurisdiction (starting figures from federal data)

Sources: 1, 3, 4, 6

JurisdictionTypePlan statusRepetitive lossFMA RL and SRL (44 CFR 77.2); repeat-flood, any definitionPublic Assistance to this jurisdictionFEMA records matched by applicant name; federal share obligated, nominal dollarsEvent records naming this placeall years; since its plan
Protivin cityCityApproved, expires 2029-12-05FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded21 total; 0 since its plan
Riceville cityCityApproved, expires 2028-03-28FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded27 total; 3 since its plan

Repetitive-loss counts are for whole NFIP communities, which can extend beyond this county (see the note in B2-c).

County Public Assistance in B1-d also includes applicants filed under the county that are not jurisdictions in this plan (for example state agencies, special districts and nonprofits), so the jurisdiction rows add up to less.

Supports FEMA checklist items B2-a and B2-b: vulnerability and potential impacts

Local data needed

The table below gives county-level starting figures; the plan describes impacts for each jurisdiction and its own assets.

No county-level plan row in FEMA data, so there is no approval date to count from.

  • Critical facilities and lifelines per hazard
  • A problem statement per jurisdiction per hazard
  • Changes in development in hazard-prone areas since the last approval, or a statement of none (E1-a)
  • Future assets

County-level starter: exposure, expected annual loss and damage since the plan

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7

HazardBuilding exposuremodeled dollarsAgriculture exposuremodeled dollarsPopulation exposedpeopleEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL as % of exposurebuildings; agriculture where notedStorm Events damage since plancounty-coded records, property plus crops, nominal dollarsZone-level damage since planproperty plus crops, reported for the zonePublic Assistance since plannominal dollars; see noteNote
Cold Wave$4,993,638,385$366,929,0979,449$1,243$303,740$241,632under 0.0001%
Droughtn/a$161,945,701n/an/a$1,259,617n/a0.778% (agriculture)NRI has no building exposure for this hazard; agriculture shown
Earthquake$8,240,621,355n/a9,469$8,352n/a$1,4700.000101%
Hail$4,993,638,385$366,929,0979,449$246,614$298,369$24,0820.00494%
Heat Wave$4,993,638,385$366,929,0979,449$2,980$4$63,412under 0.0001%
Hurricane$4,993,638,385$366,929,0979,449$659$1,937under $1under 0.0001%
Ice Storm$4,993,638,385n/a9,449$16,134n/a$10,5220.000323%
Inland Flooding$4,991,331,855$31,961,965314$4,343,263$122,744$6,406n/a (see note)NRI counts the full building value of any census block with some flood loss; this is not the value of buildings in the floodplain. Use local FIRM overlays for B2-a/B2-b.
Landslide$12,412,694n/a24$10n/a$208under 0.0001%
Lightning$4,993,638,385n/a9,449$12,066n/a$97,8570.000242%
Strong Wind$4,993,638,385$366,929,0979,449$287,132$366,324$113,0120.00575%
Tornado$4,993,638,385$366,929,0979,449$867,811$7,098$456,3060.0174%
Wildfire$1,922,893,996$107,586,0452,935$3,937$96$4080.000205%
Winter Weather$4,993,638,385$366,929,0979,449$16,969$660$25,5980.00034%

Totals since the plan: not available. No county-level plan row in FEMA data, so there is no approval date to count from.

FEMA does not split Public Assistance by hazard. A declaration mapped to several hazards is listed under each of them with its full amount, so the per-hazard column does not add up to the total; the unit total counts each declaration once.

NRI computes earthquake exposure on its own basis, so it exceeds the county building value in B2-a.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-a: vulnerability (county context)

County context

Source: 5

MeasureValue
Population9,449
Building value (total, not at risk)$4,993,638,385
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$366,929,097
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Very Low
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$8,167,759
Expected annual loss, population equivalence, all hazards (NRI values each statistical life at $13.7M; a modeled value of expected deaths and injuries, not property damage)$1,040,913
Social vulnerability ratingVery Low
Community resilience ratingRelatively High
NRI versionDecember 2025

FEMA's all-hazard expected annual loss adds buildings, agriculture and population equivalence; this table gives the property part and the population-equivalence part as separate rows.

Social vulnerability: higher means people are more likely to be harmed and slower to recover. Community resilience: lower means the community is less able to recover. High social vulnerability and low resilience both raise the NRI risk rating.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-c: repetitive loss properties

Repetitive loss in this county, both definitions

Sources: 1, 4

DefinitionPropertiesSevere repetitive lossProperties
Repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)0Severe repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)0
Repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition0Severe repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition0

The state NFIP coordinator's list, the source FEMA's Handbook names, often uses the NFIP insurance definition (second row).

Repeat-flood properties: county and state-level rows

Sources: 1, 4

ScopeRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
County total0000000
Statewide, no county in FEMA's file0010100

The statewide row counts properties FEMA's file gives with no county in this state; they are listed for reference and are not in this county's counts.

Repeat-flood properties by jurisdiction in the plan (NFIP community)

Sources: 1, 4

JurisdictionNFIP community IDRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
Protivin city1904190000000
Riceville city1904180000000

Counts by occupancy group for each jurisdiction are in the Excel file, sheet "B2-c Jurisdictions".

Jurisdiction rows are whole NFIP communities and need not add up to the county total: a community that extends into another county is counted in full on each jurisdiction row, while the county table counts only its part in this county.

County repeat-flood properties by occupancy group: 0 in every occupancy group.

Sources: 1, 4

FMA RL and FMA SRL are the Flood Mitigation Assistance definitions (44 CFR 77.2), the ones the FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide cites. NFIP repetitive loss (the FEMA insurance definition) is 2 or more claims over $1,000 in 10 years, and a property can leave that group once it is mitigated. Also shown: NFIP severe repetitive loss, any category, mitigated and currently insured. The Methods page gives the OpenFEMA field details.

Counts are aggregates of FEMA's public NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (FEMA's data date 2026-08-02; file version 2026-08-04). No property is identified. County assignment is FEMA's geocode.

In this county 0 properties are FMA repetitive loss but not NFIP repetitive loss, and 0 properties are NFIP repetitive loss but not FMA repetitive loss.

Exact counts; no count suppression.

Sources

Tables cite these sources by number. The full list, for the plan's bibliography (FEMA review item A4-a):

  1. FEMA, OpenFEMA HazardMitigationPlanStatuses v1, version 2026-09-29T134039Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/HazardMitigationPlanStatuses (API)
  2. FEMA, OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, version 2026-09-29T162832Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries (API)
  3. FEMA, OpenFEMA PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries v1, version 2026-09-29T150754Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries (API)
  4. FEMA, OpenFEMA NfipMultipleLossProperties v1, version 2026-08-04T164045Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/NfipMultipleLossProperties (API)
  5. FEMA, FEMA National Risk Index 1.20.0 (December 2025), county and census tract tables, version 1.20.0, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_Counties.zip (download, 25 MB), https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_CensusTracts.zip (download, 635 MB)
  6. NOAA NCEI, NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, details files (csvfiles v1.0), version c20260918, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/csvfiles/
  7. NOAA National Weather Service, NWS county-public forecast zones correlation file, version bp03mr20 to bp16ap26 (11 files; newest bp16ap26), pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.weather.gov/gis/ZoneCounty
  8. U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2024 Gazetteer, 2020 place by county, CT county-to-cousub crosswalk, version 2024-gazetteer, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_counties_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_cousubs_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_place_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_unsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_elsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_scsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/codes2020/national_place_by_county2020.txt, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ct_change/ct_cou_to_cousub_crosswalk.xlsx (used to match place names and codes; no table prints its values)

What this packet is and what the plan adds

This packet is the federal data for the plan's risk assessment (the summary on page 1 says how it is organized); the plan and FEMA's review decide whether each item is met.

The plan adds what only the community has: local data on assets, critical facilities, development and each jurisdiction's impacts; local hazard history, including state-declared emergencies; the mitigation strategy; and adoption.

How the federal data are built: National Risk Index values are FEMA's model, not counts of events. Storm Events is more complete from 1996; zone-level records are placed by forecast zone, not by location in the county. Public Assistance for a jurisdiction is matched by applicant name. The Methods page gives every rule and the known edge cases.

OpenFEMA disclaimer

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).

Reuse, citation and corrections

Reuse and citation: Hazard Plain text and tables are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); credit Hazard Plain and the release. The underlying federal data are public domain; OpenFEMA data are also subject to the OpenFEMA terms and conditions.

Cite this: Hazard Plain (2026). Howard County, IA: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 19089). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/ia/19089/ Built from FEMA OpenFEMA, the FEMA National Risk Index and NOAA NCEI Storm Events; source versions in the packet's Sources list.

Corrections: to report an error, name the packet, the table and what your records show. Contact: [email protected]