Hazard Plain Automated baseline

Burke County, ND

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
38013
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: Expired on 2024-06-16. Plan: Burke & Divide Counties, ND Hazard Mitigation Plan 2019 (FEMA plan 105820), approved 2019-06-17.

Since the plan was approved on 2019-06-17: 4 new hazard declarations (4 incidents) and 83 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): Cold Wave ($1,004,203 a year), Inland Flooding ($474,869) and Winter Weather ($91,671).

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:
Expired on 2024-06-16
Plan:
Burke & Divide Counties, ND Hazard Mitigation Plan 2019 (FEMA plan 105820)
Approved:
2019-06-17
Days since expiry:
836
Update underway:
none recorded in FEMA's plan tracker

Until a new plan is approved, FEMA mitigation project grants (HMGP, FMA) need a FEMA exception (44 CFR 201.6(a)(3)).

What changed since your last plan (approved 2019-06-17)

New federal declarations:
4 new hazard declarations (4 incidents): DR-4613-ND (Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding), DR-4660-ND (Severe Winter Storm and Flooding), DR-4717-ND (Flooding), DR-4934-ND (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes); also 2 COVID-19 declarations (not counted)
Storm Events records since approval:
83 records (data through 2026-06-30)
Repetitive loss now:
FMA RL 0, SRL 0 (44 CFR 77.2); any definition: 0
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

Source: 1

JurisdictionTypeStatusPlanApprovedExpiresDays to expirynegative = days since expiry
Burke CountyCountyExpired on 2024-06-16Burke & Divide Counties, ND Hazard Mitigation Plan 2019 (FEMA plan 105820)2019-06-172024-06-16-836
Bowbells cityCityExpired on 2024-06-16Burke & Divide Counties, ND Hazard Mitigation Plan 2019 (FEMA plan 105820)2019-06-172024-06-16-836
Columbus cityCityExpired on 2024-06-16Burke & Divide Counties, ND Hazard Mitigation Plan 2019 (FEMA plan 105820)2019-06-172024-06-16-836
Flaxton cityCityExpired on 2024-06-16Burke & Divide Counties, ND Hazard Mitigation Plan 2019 (FEMA plan 105820)2019-06-172024-06-16-836
Lignite cityCityExpired on 2024-06-16Burke & Divide Counties, ND Hazard Mitigation Plan 2019 (FEMA plan 105820)2019-06-172024-06-16-836
Portal cityCityExpired on 2024-06-16Burke & Divide Counties, ND Hazard Mitigation Plan 2019 (FEMA plan 105820)2019-06-172024-06-16-836
Powers Lake cityCityExpired on 2024-06-16Burke & Divide Counties, ND Hazard Mitigation Plan 2019 (FEMA plan 105820)2019-06-172024-06-16-836

Plan 105820 lists 4 other participants: Crosby city (Divide County); Divide County; Fortuna city (Divide County); Noonan city (Divide County).

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 2026-06-30countWhy this hazard can be left outNRI Not Applicable, no declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996Storm Events coverage note
1Cold WaveRelatively LowRelatively Moderate$660$432,610$570,933$1,004,20337
2Inland FloodingVery LowVery Low$474,868$1under $1$474,8693
3Winter WeatherRelatively LowRelatively Moderate$53,231$99$38,340$91,67194
4TornadoVery LowVery Low$43,342$1,018$37,625$81,98519
5HailVery LowVery Low$43,540$30,320$3,015$76,87593
6Strong WindVery LowVery Low$31,205$19,769$8,502$59,47679Includes 44 High Wind records (a NOAA non-thunderstorm wind type, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition).
7Ice StormRelatively LowRelatively Low$46,983n/a$9,525$56,5081
8WildfireVery LowVery Low$54,291$30$992$55,3140Declared 1 time; no Storm Events record of this type.
9LightningVery LowVery Low$26,393n/a$9,430$35,8239
10DroughtVery LowVery Lown/a$17,076n/a$17,07621
11Heat WaveVery LowVery Low$517under $1$3,617$4,1341
12EarthquakeVery LowVery Low$1,075n/a$204$1,279Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
13LandslideVery LowVery Low$5n/a$279$2840Declared 1 time; no Storm Events record of this type.
HurricaneNot ApplicableNot Applicable0NRI rates hurricane Not Applicable for this county, and no counted federal declaration for this county names it (EM-3247-ND names it but is not counted as a local occurrence; see B1-d).No 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.

NRI rating of the county's single census tract

Source: 5

HazardCensus tractNRI risk rating, score 0 to 100
Earthquaketract 9533 (Very Low, 6.8)
Hurricaneno tract has a National Risk Index rating for this hazard
Landslidetract 9533 (Relatively Low, 86.5)
Tornadotract 9533 (Relatively Low, 53.2)
Wildfiretract 9533 (Relatively Moderate, 92.2)

A tract number is the Census tract number (for example 9533 is Census Tract 9533). 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 chill37 records, 1996 to 2025 (37 zone-level)1 day to 11 days (median 3 days); 33 with a recorded value11 consecutive days, 2021-02-05 to 2021-02-15, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage0
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)21 records, 2021 to 2025 (21 zone-level)211 days to 412 days (median 311.5 days); 2 with a recorded value412 days (about 13.5 months), 2021-04-01 to 2022-05-17, a run of 14 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)120 records, 1975 to 20250.75 in to 2.75 in (median 1 in); 120 with a recorded value2.75 in hail, 2018-06-14; same size also recorded on 2001-07-19Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Bowbells city (15 records), Lignite city (13 records), Powers Lake city (12 records), Columbus city (11 records), Portal city (10 records), Flaxton city (7 records).
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)1 record, 2011 (1 zone-level)4 days; 1 with a recorded value4 consecutive days, 2011-07-16 to 2011-07-19, zone-levelCountywide (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)1 record, 2010 (1 zone-level)No damage reported in 1 record.Countywide (zone-level records).
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)3 records, 2011 to 2023Flood, 2014-06-28, $50,000 property; $25,000 crops (2014 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Lignite city (1 record).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)9 records, 1997 to 2006Lightning, 2006-08-09, $250,000 property; crops not reported (2006 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Lignite city (5 records), Bowbells city (2 records), Flaxton city (1 record).Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties.
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)44 records, 1999 to 2026 (44 zone-level)35 kt (40 mph) to 62 kt (71 mph) (median 50 kt (58 mph)); 44 with a recorded value62 kt (71 mph), measurement type not recorded, High Wind, 1999-03-26; NWS zone NDZ002High Wind, 2011-02-13, $20,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2011 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)55 records, 1971 to 202650 kt (58 mph) to 78 kt (90 mph) (median 54.5 kt (63 mph)); 44 with a recorded value78 kt (90 mph) estimated gust, Thunderstorm Wind, 2012-07-15Thunderstorm Wind, 2010-06-24, $0 property; $500,000 crops (2010 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Powers Lake city (8 records), Bowbells city (7 records), Flaxton city (3 records), Lignite city (3 records), Columbus city (2 records), Portal city (2 records).
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)28 records, 1969 to 2026F/EF0 to F/EF3 (median F/EF0); 26 with a recorded valueEF3 tornado, 2010-08-12, 2.55 mi within this county, 400 yd wide, $700,000 property; $150,000 crops (2010 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Bowbells city (6 records), Portal city (5 records), Powers Lake city (3 records).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)94 records, 1996 to 2026 (94 zone-level)Blizzard, 2022-04-23, $6,000,000 property; $0 crops (2022 dollars); NWS zone NDZ002Countywide (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: 22 declarations covering 19 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 dollarsFlagsNotes
2026-09-012026-06-07DR-4934-NDMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and TornadoesStrong Wind; Tornadonot yet in FEMA's PA summaries (they cover declarations through 2026-06-30)new since last plan; within last 5 years
2023-07-052023-04-10DR-4717-NDMajor disasterFloodingInland Flooding$30,195new since last plan; within last 5 years
2022-07-132022-04-22DR-4660-NDMajor disasterSevere Winter Storm and FloodingInland Flooding; Winter Weather$8,562,823.69new since last plan; within last 5 years
2021-09-012021-06-07DR-4613-NDMajor disasterSevere Storm, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingInland Flooding; Strong Wind$51,382.93new since last plan
2020-04-012020-01-20DR-4509-NDMajor disasterCOVID-19 PandemicNon-natural, not counted$11,977.43new since last plan
2020-03-132020-01-20EM-3477-NDEmergencyCOVID-19Non-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recordednew since last plansame incident as DR-4509
2011-05-202011-04-29DR-1986-NDMajor disasterSevere Winter StormWinter Weather$421,298.51
2011-05-102011-02-14DR-1981-NDMajor disasterFloodingInland Flooding$453,382.04
2010-02-262010-01-20DR-1879-NDMajor disasterSevere Winter StormWinter Weather$68,750.95
2005-11-212005-10-04DR-1616-NDMajor disasterSevere Winter Storm and Record and/or Near Record SnowWinter Weather$12,115.11
2005-09-132005-08-29EM-3247-NDEmergencyHurricane Katrina EvacuationHurricane: evacuation support, not a local hazard event; not countedno Public Assistance recorded
2004-05-052004-03-26DR-1515-NDMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, and Ground SaturationInland Flooding$232,305.36
2004-04-022004-01-23EM-3196-NDEmergencySnowWinter Weather$9,745.63
2000-06-272000-04-05DR-1334-NDMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding and Ground SaturationInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1999-06-081999-03-01DR-1279-NDMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, Snow, Ice, Ground Saturation, Lanslides, Mudslides, and TorInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Landslide, Tornado$258,766.33
1997-04-071997-02-28DR-1174-NDMajor disasterSevere Flooding,Severe Winter Storms, Snowmelt, Spring RainsInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Wildfire, Winter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded
1997-01-121997-01-03DR-1157-NDMajor disasterSevere Winter Storms and Blizzard ConditionsWinter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded
1993-07-261993-06-22DR-1001-NDMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1979-04-261979-04-26DR-581-NDMajor disasterSevere Storms, Snowmelt & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1976-04-161976-04-16DR-501-NDMajor disasterFloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1970-06-051970-06-05DR-287-NDMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1969-04-181969-04-18DR-256-NDMajor disasterFloodingInland Floodingno 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
1957-06-221957-06-22DR-79-NDMajor 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.

Public Assistance filed under this county for declarations that do not list it: 1 row, $15,494.25

Sources: 2, 3

FEMA numberDeclaredTitleApplicantPA obligatedfederal share obligated, nominal dollars
DR-1353-ND2000-12-29Severe Winter Storms and TornadoesBurke-Divide Electric Cooperative$15,494.25

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 North Dakota county: 1 row, $23,693.61; listed on the North Dakota 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 Wave37413001996 to 2026-06-30
Drought2121015001996 to 2026-06-30
Earthquake000000Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail12016011001955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave1000001996 to 2026-06-30
Hurricane0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Ice Storm1000001996 to 2026-06-30
Inland Flooding31011331996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide0000101996 to 2026-06-30No Storm Events records of this type; 1 federal declared incident (see declarations table)
Lightning9000001996 to 2026-06-30
Strong Wind9923218221955 to 2026-06-30Includes 44 High Wind records.
Tornado28101211950 to 2026-06-30
Wildfire0000101996 to 2026-06-30No Storm Events records of this type; 1 federal declared incident (see declarations table)
Winter Weather9417215711996 to 2026-06-30

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationFlagsWhy listed
2022-04-23Blizzard$6,000,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2022 dollars)0, 0NWS zone NDZ002 (BURKE), zone-levelnew since last plan; within last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleet
2021-04-01Drought$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2021 dollars)0, 0NWS zone NDZ002 (BURKE), zone-levelnew since last planB1-c worst recorded: Drought
2021-02-05Extreme Cold/Wind Chill$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2021 dollars)0, 0NWS zone NDZ002 (BURKE), zone-levelnew since last planB1-c worst recorded: Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
2018-06-14Hail2.75 in$500,000 property; $0 crops (2018 dollars)0, 0PORTALB1-c worst recorded: Hail
2014-06-28Flood$50,000 property; $25,000 crops (2014 dollars)0, 0LARSON to BATTLEVIEWB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood
2012-07-15Thunderstorm Wind78 kt (90 mph) estimated gust$100,000 property; $0 crops (2012 dollars)0, 0NORTHGATEB1-c worst recorded: Thunderstorm Wind
2011-07-16Excessive Heat$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2011 dollars)0, 0NWS zone NDZ002 (BURKE), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Excessive Heat, Heat
2011-02-13High Wind35 kt (40 mph) estimated sustained$20,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2011 dollars)0, 0NWS zone NDZ002 (BURKE), zone-levelB1-c most damaging: High Wind and Strong Wind
2010-08-12TornadoEF3, 2.55 mi within this county, 400 yd wide$700,000 property; $150,000 crops (2010 dollars)0, 0BOWBELLSB1-c worst recorded: Tornado
2006-08-09Lightning$250,000 property; crops not reported (2006 dollars)0, 0LIGNITEB1-c worst recorded: Lightning
1999-03-26High Wind62 kt (71 mph), measurement type not recordeddamage not reported0, 0NWS zone NDZ002 (BURKE), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: High Wind and Strong Wind
1998-02-25Blizzarddamage not reported0, 1NWS zone NDZ002 (BURKE), zone-leveldeaths or injuries recorded

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (413 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 Wave21.7event-days per yearabout 21.7 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 16 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (53.3%)4132005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Drought22.2event-days per yearabout 22.2 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 4 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (13.3%)5602000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywide
Earthquake0.000089annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 0.0089%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail1.17events per yearabout 1.17 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)44.7 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Wave0.526event-days per yearabout 0.526 days per yearPossibleStorm Events event-days in 1 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (3.33%)72005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Hurricaneevents per year1851 to 2024 (Atlantic)see B1-fNot Applicable in NRI for this county; no descriptor.
Ice Storm0.518event-days per yearabout 0.518 days per yearPossibleStorm Events event-days in 1 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (3.33%)351946-12-31 to 2014-02-12 (67 years)countywide
Inland Flooding0.107event-days per yearabout 0.107 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 3 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (10%)31996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide0.153events per year (modeled)about 1 in 7 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning26.3days per year with a strikeabout 26.3 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind0.569events per yearabout 0.57 per yearLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)221986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.198events per yearabout 1 in 5 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Wildfire0.000488annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 0.0488%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 Weather17.2event-days per yearabout 17.2 days per yearHighly likelyStorm Events event-days in 27 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (90%)3262005-11-12 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 202564302.13
Hail2.00 in+1996 to 20254300.133
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 202522300.733
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)65 kt+1996 to 202511300.367
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)unmeasured or below 50 kt1996 to 20250300
TornadoEF0-11996 to 202517300.567
TornadoEF2-31996 to 20251300.0333
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

NRI risk score of the county's single census tract

Source: 5

HazardTract scoreNRI score, 0 to 100Rating
Cold Wave98.6Very High
Drought89.6Relatively Low
Earthquake6.8Very Low
Hail87.0Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave4.6Very Low
HurricaneNot Applicable
Ice Storm93.7Relatively High
Inland Flooding34.1Relatively Low
Landslide86.5Relatively Low
Lightning82.4Relatively High
Strong Wind80.5Relatively Moderate
Tornado53.2Relatively Low
Wildfire92.2Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather99.4Very High

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.

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
Burke CountyCountyExpired on 2024-06-16FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$896,400.350 total; 0 since its plan
Bowbells cityCityExpired on 2024-06-16FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$1,804.2430 total; 8 since its plan
Columbus cityCityExpired on 2024-06-16FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$10,356.9713 total; 2 since its plan
Flaxton cityCityExpired on 2024-06-16FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$948.7511 total; 1 since its plan
Lignite cityCityExpired on 2024-06-16FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded22 total; 3 since its plan
Portal cityCityExpired on 2024-06-16FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$19,499.0417 total; 3 since its plan
Powers Lake cityCityExpired on 2024-06-16FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$6,236.2323 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.

  • 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 2019-06-17county-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$1,146,068,868$92,080,4762,201$660$432,610$570,933under 0.0001%$0
Droughtn/a$49,375,787n/an/a$17,076n/a0.0346% (agriculture)$0NRI has no building exposure for this hazard; agriculture shown
Earthquake$1,902,580,157n/a2,201$1,075n/a$204under 0.0001%
Hail$1,146,068,868$92,080,4762,201$43,540$30,320$3,0150.0038%$165,000
Heat Wave$1,146,068,868$92,080,4762,201$517under $1$3,617under 0.0001%
HurricaneNot Applicable in NRI for this county
Ice Storm$1,146,068,868n/a2,201$46,983n/a$9,5250.0041%
Inland Flooding$1,145,629,698$39719$474,868$1under $1n/a (see note)$30,000$8,644,401.62NRI 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$1,972,809n/a5$5n/a$2790.000241%
Lightning$1,146,068,868n/a2,201$26,393n/a$9,4300.0023%
Strong Wind$1,146,068,868$92,080,4762,201$31,205$19,769$8,5020.00272%$48,000$0$51,382.93
Tornado$1,146,068,868$92,080,4762,201$43,342$1,018$37,6250.00378%$50,000no Public Assistance recorded (1 declaration)
Wildfire$337,821,696$19,867,974711$54,291$30$9920.0161%
Winter Weather$1,146,068,868$92,080,4762,201$53,231$99$38,3400.00464%$6,000,000$8,562,823.69

Totals since 2019-06-17 (Storm Events through 2026-06-30): 28 county-coded records, 28 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $293,000; 55 zone-level records, 55 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $6,000,000 reported for the zone; Public Assistance: $8,644,401.62 on 4 counted declarations, 3 of them with Public Assistance.

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
Population2,201
Building value (total, not at risk)$1,146,068,868
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$92,080,476
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Very Low
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$1,277,034
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)$682,462
Social vulnerability ratingVery Low
Community resilience ratingRelatively Moderate
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 total and NFIP communities

Sources: 1, 4

ScopeRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
County total0000000

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

Sources: 1, 4

JurisdictionNFIP community IDRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
Burke County3803770000000
Bowbells city3802160000000
Columbus city3800150000000
Flaxton city3801690000000
Lignite city3801860000000
Portal city3801960000000
Powers Lake city3800160000000

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). Burke County, ND: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 38013). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/nd/38013/ 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]