Hazard Plain Automated baseline

Mason County, MI

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
26105
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: Approved, expires 2029-05-01. Plan: Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492), approved 2024-05-02.

Since the plan was approved on 2024-05-02: no new hazard declaration and 8 NOAA Storm Events records; details under "What changed since your last plan".

Highest expected annual loss (FEMA National Risk Index, modeled total; see B1-a): Inland Flooding ($4,354,556 a year), Strong Wind ($540,084) and Cold Wave ($539,997).

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

Status:
Approved, expires 2029-05-01
Plan:
Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492)
Approved:
2024-05-02
Days to expiry:
944

What changed since your last plan (approved 2024-05-02)

New federal declarations:
none
Storm Events records since approval:
8 records (data through 2026-06-30)
Repetitive loss now:
FMA RL 0, SRL 0 (44 CFR 77.2); any definition: 1
Repeat-flood change:
this release sets the baseline count.

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

Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county: 20 rows, in the section "Plan clock: Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county" on the following pages.

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

Plan clock

Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county

Source: 1

JurisdictionTypeStatusPlanApprovedExpiresDays to expirynegative = days since expiryNotes
Mason CountyCountyApproved, expires 2029-05-01Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492)2024-05-022029-05-01944
Custer villageVillageApproved, expires 2029-05-01Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492)2024-05-022029-05-01944this jurisdiction approved 2025-04-14
Free Soil villageVillageApproved, expires 2029-05-01Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492)2024-05-022029-05-01944this jurisdiction approved 2025-05-21
Ludington cityCityApproved, expires 2029-05-01Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492)2024-05-022029-05-01944this jurisdiction approved 2025-04-14
Scottville cityCityApproved, expires 2029-05-01Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492)2024-05-022029-05-01944this jurisdiction approved 2025-04-14
Amber townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492)2024-05-022029-05-01944this jurisdiction approved 2025-04-14
Branch townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492)2024-05-022029-05-01944this jurisdiction approved 2025-04-14
Custer townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492)2024-05-022029-05-01944this jurisdiction approved 2025-05-21
Eden townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492)2024-05-022029-05-01944this jurisdiction approved 2025-04-14
Free Soil townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492)2024-05-022029-05-01944this jurisdiction approved 2025-04-14
Grant townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492)2024-05-022029-05-01944this jurisdiction approved 2025-05-21
Hamlin townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492)2024-05-022029-05-01944this jurisdiction approved 2025-05-21
Logan townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492)2024-05-022029-05-01944this jurisdiction approved 2025-04-14
Meade townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492)2024-05-022029-05-01944this jurisdiction approved 2025-06-18
Pere Marquette charter townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492)2024-05-022029-05-01944this jurisdiction approved 2025-04-14
Riverton townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492)2024-05-022029-05-01944this jurisdiction approved 2025-05-21
Sheridan townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492)2024-05-022029-05-01944this jurisdiction approved 2025-04-14
Sherman townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492)2024-05-022029-05-01944this jurisdiction approved 2025-04-14
Summit townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492)2024-05-022029-05-01944this jurisdiction approved 2025-04-14
Victory townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01Mason County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109492)2024-05-022029-05-01944this jurisdiction approved 2025-05-21

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 FloodingRelatively LowRelatively Low$4,352,797$1,178$581$4,354,55614
2Strong WindRelatively ModerateRelatively Low$318,699$16,517$204,868$540,08472Includes 11 High Wind records (a NOAA non-thunderstorm wind type, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition).
3Cold WaveRelatively LowRelatively Low$12$18,676$521,309$539,9970No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
4Winter WeatherRelatively HighRelatively High$7,757$690$450,906$459,353124Includes 1 Sleet record (outside NRI's Winter Weather definition).
5TornadoVery LowVery Low$147,470$501$135,081$283,0531
6Heat WaveVery LowVery Low$1,006under $1$130,248$131,2550No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
7LightningRelatively LowRelatively Low$5,417n/a$83,369$88,7860No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
8HailVery LowVery Low$31,164$18,570$8,340$58,07419
9EarthquakeVery LowVery Low$22,845n/a$6,180$29,025Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
10Ice StormRelatively LowVery Low$21,683n/a$546$22,2291
11WildfireVery LowVery Low$20,222$20$1,974$22,2160No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
12Coastal FloodingVery LowVery Low$4,888n/a$303$5,1910No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
13HurricaneVery LowVery Low$2,076$1,051under $1$3,1270No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
14LandslideVery LowVery Low$183n/a$1,916$2,0990No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
15DroughtNo RatingNo Expected Annual Lossesn/a$0n/a$00Declared 1 time; no Storm Events record of this type.
TsunamiInsufficient DataInsufficient Datan/an/an/an/a0No 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 lightning, wildfire, landslide and tsunami 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 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.

Coastal Flooding and 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 9506 (Very Low, 26.6); tract 9505 (Very Low, 20.7); tract 9504 (Very Low, 19.1)
Hurricanetract 9506 (Very Low, 31.7); tract 9502 (Very Low, 30.4); tract 9508 (Very Low, 29.6)
Landslidetract 9508 (Relatively Low, 91.9); tract 9502 (Relatively Low, 90.8); tract 9507 (Relatively Low, 88.8)
Tornadotract 9507 (Relatively Low, 48.3); tract 9506 (Relatively Low, 46.4); tract 9504 (Relatively Low, 44.7)
Tsunamino tract has a National Risk Index rating for this hazard
Wildfiretract 9502 (Relatively Low, 82.8); tract 9503 (Relatively Low, 78.5); tract 9508 (Relatively Low, 77.3)

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 9506 is Census Tract 9506). 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
Coastal Flood, Storm Surge/Tidenone in data (flood depth: FIRM)0Flood depth: see the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map.
Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chillwind chill0
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage0
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)0Storm 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)23 records, 1960 to 20260.75 in to 2.5 in (median 1 in); 23 with a recorded value2.5 in hail, 2021-09-07Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Ludington city (5 records), Scottville city (4 records), Custer township (3 records), Custer village (3 records).
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)0
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)1 record, 2003 (1 zone-level)Ice Storm, 2003-04-03, $200,000 property; crops not reported (2003 dollars); NWS zone MIZ037Countywide (zone-level records).
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)14 records, 1997 to 2019 (3 zone-level)Flash Flood, 2008-06-13, $3,000,000 property; $500,000 crops (2008 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Ludington city (1 record), Scottville city (1 record). Zone-level records (3) 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)0Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties.
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)11 records, 1997 to 2021 (11 zone-level)43 kt (49 mph) to 87 kt (100 mph) (median 52 kt (60 mph)); 10 with a recorded value87 kt (100 mph), measurement type not recorded, High Wind, 1998-11-10; NWS zone MIZ037High Wind, 2017-03-08, $5,000,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2017 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)78 records, 1976 to 202450 kt (58 mph) to 70 kt (81 mph) (median 53 kt (61 mph)); 61 with a recorded value70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust, Thunderstorm Wind, 2018-08-28; same speed and measurement basis also recorded on 2014-04-12Thunderstorm Wind, 1998-05-31, $1,000,000 property; crops not reported (1998 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Ludington city (19 records), Scottville city (12 records), Custer township (1 record), Custer village (1 record).
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)5 records, 1966 to 2008F/EF0 to F/EF2 (median F/EF1); 5 with a recorded valueF2 tornado, 1972-04-12, 0.1 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 27 yd wide, $2,500,000 property; crops not recorded (1972 dollars), 8 direct injuriesNo event record names a jurisdiction in the plan.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).
Tsunaminone (count and damage only)0
Wildfireacres burned (local data)0
Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleetnone in data (snowfall: local data)124 records, 1996 to 2026 (124 zone-level)Winter Storm, 2018-04-14, $100,000 property; $0 crops (2018 dollars); NWS zone MIZ037Countywide (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, lightning and tsunami.

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: 9 declarations covering 5 separate hazard incidents counted in this packet (declarations for the same incident count once; non-natural and evacuation-only declarations are not counted).

Federal disaster declarations for this county

Sources: 1, 2, 3

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazardCounty Public Assistancefederal share obligated, nominal dollarsNotes
2020-03-272020-01-20DR-4494-MIMajor disasterCOVID-19 PandemicNon-natural, not counted$57,026.37
2020-03-132020-01-20EM-3455-MIEmergencyCOVID-19Non-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4494
2008-07-142008-06-06DR-1777-MIMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornado$1,509,453.41
2005-09-072005-08-29EM-3225-MIEmergencyHurricane Katrina EvacuationHurricane: evacuation support, not a local hazard event; not countedno Public Assistance recorded
1998-06-241998-05-29DR-1226-MIMajor disasterSevere StormsHazard not mapped (severe storm title names no single hazard); not countedno Public Assistance recorded
1986-09-181986-09-10DR-774-MIMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1985-09-181985-09-05DR-744-MIMajor disasterSevere Storms and FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1978-01-271978-01-27EM-3057-MIEmergencyBlizzards & SnowstormsWinter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded
1977-03-021977-03-02EM-3035-MIEmergencyDroughtDroughtno 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
1956-04-051956-04-05DR-53-MIMajor disasterTornadoTornado
1953-06-091953-06-09DR-6-MIMajor disasterTornadoTornado
1953-06-021953-06-02DR-4-MIMajor disasterTornadoTornado

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.

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
Coastal Flooding0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Cold Wave0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Drought0000101996 to 2026-06-30No Storm Events records of this type; 1 federal declared incident (see declarations table)
Earthquake000000Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail23101001955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Hurricane0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Ice Storm1000001996 to 2026-06-30
Inland Flooding14000301996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Lightning0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Strong Wind89103001955 to 2026-06-30Includes 11 High Wind records.
Tornado5000101950 to 2026-06-30
Tsunami0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Wildfire0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Winter Weather1246111101996 to 2026-06-30Includes 1 Sleet record.

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationWhy listed
2021-09-07Hail2.5 in$100,000 property; $0 crops (2021 dollars)0, 0FERNB1-c worst recorded: Hail
2019-07-20Flood$500,000 property; $0 crops (2019 dollars)0, 0FREESOIL to FOUNTAINlarge reported damage
2018-08-28Thunderstorm Wind70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust$150,000 property; $0 crops (2018 dollars)0, 0HAMLIN LAKEB1-c worst recorded: Thunderstorm Wind
2018-04-14Winter Storm$100,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2018 dollars)0, 0NWS zone MIZ037 (MASON), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleet
2017-03-08High Wind50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust$5,000,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2017 dollars)0, 0NWS zone MIZ037 (MASON), zone-levelB1-c most damaging: High Wind and Strong Wind
2014-04-12Thunderstorm Wind70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust$500,000 property; $0 crops (2014 dollars)0, 0BASS LAKElarge reported damage
2013-04-17Flood$3,000,000 property; $0 crops (2013 dollars)0, 0FREESOIL to LUDINGTONlarge reported damage
2008-06-13Flash Flood$3,000,000 property; $500,000 crops (2008 dollars)0, 0HAMLIN LAKE LAKE to MILLERTONB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood
2003-04-03Ice Storm$200,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 2003 dollars)0, 0NWS zone MIZ037 (MASON), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Ice Storm
1998-11-10High Wind87 kt (100 mph), measurement type not recordeddamage not reported0, 0NWS zone MIZ037 (MASON), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: High Wind and Strong Wind
1998-05-31Thunderstorm Windspeed not recorded$1,000,000 property; crops not reported (1998 dollars)0, 5LUDINGTON to WALHALLAdeaths or injuries recorded
1972-04-12TornadoF2, 0.1 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 27 yd wide$2,500,000 property; crops not recorded (1972 dollars)0, 8location not recordeddeaths or injuries recorded

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (256 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
Coastal Flooding0.0143events per year at a location (modeled)about 0.014 per year at a given location in the countyStorm Events records in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor: no Storm Events record 1996 to 2025
Cold Wave0.894event-days per yearabout 0.894 days per yearStorm Events event-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)6.982005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywideNo Storm Events cold wave record, 1996 to 2025.
Drought0event-days per yearnone modeledStorm Events event-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)02000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywideNo Storm Events drought record, 1996 to 2025
Earthquake0.000447annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 0.0447%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail0.762events per yearabout 0.76 per yearLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)29.6 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Wave1.47event-days per yearabout 1.47 days per yearStorm Events event-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)11.12005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywideNo Storm Events heat wave record, 1996 to 2025
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 Storm0.342event-days per yearabout 0.342 days per yearPossibleStorm Events event-days in 1 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (3.33%)101946-12-31 to 2014-02-12 (67 years)countywide
Inland Flooding0.393event-days per yearabout 0.393 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 8 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (26.7%)111996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide0.133events per year (modeled)about 1 in 8 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning28.8days per year with a strikeabout 28.8 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind1.08events per yearabout 1.08 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)181986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.151events per yearabout 1 in 7 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Tsunamiannual probability at the most exposed location (used in place of a county value)Storm Events records in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor: no Storm Events record 1996 to 2025
Wildfire0.000174annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 0.0174%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 Weather28.7event-days per yearabout 28.7 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 26 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (86.7%)2242005-11-12 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.

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 20259300.3
Hail2.00 in+1996 to 20251300.0333
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 202554301.8
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 20254300.133
TornadoEF0-11996 to 20251300.0333
TornadoEF2-31996 to 20250300
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
Coastal Flooding6 of 868.376.981.7Relatively Low 3, Very Low 3, No Rating 2
Cold Wave8 of 853.761.469.7Relatively Moderate 8
Drought0 of 8No Rating 8
Earthquake8 of 810.114.126.6Very Low 8
Hail8 of 844.454.359.9Relatively Low 8
Heat Wave8 of 818.827.338.9Relatively Low 8
Hurricane8 of 825.829.131.7Very Low 8
Ice Storm8 of 827.039.450.8Relatively Low 6, Very Low 2
Inland Flooding8 of 843.455.065.9Relatively Moderate 7, Relatively Low 1
Landslide8 of 838.584.891.9Relatively Low 6, Very Low 2
Lightning8 of 842.753.365.2Relatively Moderate 6, Relatively Low 2
Strong Wind8 of 882.088.291.9Relatively High 7, Relatively Moderate 1
Tornado8 of 837.942.648.3Relatively Low 8
Tsunami0 of 8Insufficient Data 8
Wildfire8 of 831.976.582.8Relatively Low 6, Very Low 2
Winter Weather8 of 898.199.099.6Very High 8

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, 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.

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 planNotes
Mason CountyCountyApproved, expires 2029-05-01FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$27,477.650 total; 0 since its planIncludes $9,961.55 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4494-MI).
Custer villageVillageApproved, expires 2029-05-01FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded4 total; 0 since its plan
Free Soil villageVillageApproved, expires 2029-05-01FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$8,688.990 total; 0 since its plan
Ludington cityCityApproved, expires 2029-05-01FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$47,276.5725 total; 0 since its plan
Scottville cityCityApproved, expires 2029-05-01FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded17 total; 0 since its plan
Amber townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded0 total; 0 since its plan
Branch townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded0 total; 0 since its plan
Custer townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded4 total; 0 since its plan
Eden townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded0 total; 0 since its plan
Free Soil townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded0 total; 0 since its plan
Grant townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded0 total; 0 since its plan
Hamlin townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$35,418.500 total; 0 since its plan
Logan townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded0 total; 0 since its plan
Meade townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 1no Public Assistance recorded0 total; 0 since its plan
Pere Marquette charter townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded0 total; 0 since its plan
Riverton townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded0 total; 0 since its plan
Sheridan townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded0 total; 0 since its plan
Sherman townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded0 total; 0 since its plan
Summit townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded0 total; 0 since its plan
Victory townshipTownshipApproved, expires 2029-05-01FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded0 total; 0 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.

  • 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 2024-05-02county-coded records, property plus crops, nominal dollarsZone-level damage since planproperty plus crops, reported for the zonePublic Assistance since plannominal dollars; see noteNote
Coastal Flooding$803,927,550n/a282$4,888n/a$3030.000608%
Cold Wave$8,832,805,855$72,992,35929,050$12$18,676$521,309under 0.0001%
Droughtn/a$0n/an/a$0n/aagriculture exposure is 0 in NRI
Earthquake$15,376,993,409n/a29,052$22,845n/a$6,1800.000149%
Hail$8,832,805,855$72,992,35929,050$31,164$18,570$8,3400.000353%$0
Heat Wave$8,832,805,855$72,992,35929,050$1,006under $1$130,248under 0.0001%
Hurricane$8,832,805,855$72,992,35929,050$2,076$1,051under $1under 0.0001%
Ice Storm$8,832,305,100n/a29,050$21,683n/a$5460.000245%
Inland Flooding$8,797,458,295$206,086270$4,352,797$1,178$581n/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$144,138,703n/a376$183n/a$1,9160.000127%
Lightning$8,832,805,855n/a29,050$5,417n/a$83,369under 0.0001%
Strong Wind$8,832,805,855$72,992,35929,050$318,699$16,517$204,8680.00361%$5,000
Tornado$8,832,805,855$72,992,35929,050$147,470$501$135,0810.00167%
Tsunamin/an/an/an/an/an/aNRI publishes no building exposure for this county
Wildfire$1,235,121,888$15,908,6456,006$20,222$20$1,9740.00164%
Winter Weather$8,832,805,855$72,992,35929,050$7,757$690$450,906under 0.0001%$0

Totals since 2024-05-02 (Storm Events through 2026-06-30): 2 county-coded records, 2 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $5,000; 6 zone-level records, 2 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $0 reported for the zone; Public Assistance: no counted declaration since the plan.

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
Population29,050
Building value (total, not at risk)$8,832,805,855
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$72,992,359
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Very Low
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$4,993,423
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)$1,545,621
Social vulnerability ratingRelatively High
Community resilience ratingVery 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 definition1Severe 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 total0010101
of which: Meade township0010101
Statewide, no county in FEMA's file0040400

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
Mason County2618910000000
Custer village2604540000000
Free Soil village2612780000000
Ludington city2605810000000
Scottville city2612800000000
Amber township2612710000000
Branch township2612720000000
Custer township2612730000000
Eden township2612740000000
Free Soil township2612760000000
Grant township2612770000000
Hamlin township2601340000000
Logan township2608110000000
Meade township2610260010101
Pere Marquette charter township2605820000000
Riverton township2612790000000
Sheridan township2612820000000
Sherman township2612810000000
Summit township2603070000000
Victory township2612830000000

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

Sources: 1, 4

Occupancy groupRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
single-family residential0010101
2 to 4 unit residential0000000
other residential0000000
non-residential0000000
not reported0000000

FEMA's occupancy groups have no institutional class; institutional properties are counted in non-residential or other residential in the table by occupancy group.

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 1 property is 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). Mason County, MI: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 26105). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/mi/26105/ 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]