Hazard Plain Automated baseline

Nowata County, OK

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
40105
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 ($2,197,754 a year), Strong Wind ($1,747,981) and Tornado ($1,328,278).

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 expiryUpdate underwayNotes
Chelsea Public SchoolsSchool/School DistrictPlan 110804 approved 2025-07-23, pending adoption here; not yet eligibleRogers County (FEMA plan 110804), pending adoption here2025-07-23 by FEMA; not yet adopted here2030-07-22 once adoptedFEMA tracker shows a plan approvable pending adoptionNot yet eligible: adopt the approved plan.

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 LowVery Low$1,996,060$162,660$39,035$2,197,75463
2Strong WindRelatively HighRelatively High$220,621$10,574$1,516,786$1,747,981153Includes 4 High Wind records (a NOAA non-thunderstorm wind type, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition).
3TornadoRelatively LowRelatively Low$302,771$3,056$1,022,450$1,328,27822
4Cold WaveRelatively LowRelatively Moderate$26$147,681$934,761$1,082,4680No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
5Ice StormRelatively HighRelatively High$889,314n/a$6,957$896,27210
6Heat WaveRelatively LowRelatively Low$425$446$451,125$451,99556
7DroughtRelatively ModerateRelatively Lown/a$296,728n/a$296,72867
8LightningRelatively LowVery Low$4,444n/a$63,175$67,6191
9EarthquakeVery LowVery Low$47,847n/a$19,588$67,435Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
10HailVery LowVery Low$42,098$8,385$7,869$58,352103
11WildfireVery LowVery Low$27,179$498$11,850$39,5272
12Winter WeatherRelatively LowRelatively Low$20,525$777$6,020$27,32238
13HurricaneVery LowVery Low$3,221$3,136$24$6,3810No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
14LandslideVery LowVery Low$9n/a$388$3960No 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 landslide records (Storm Events records this hazard 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 1724 (Relatively Low, 63.8); tract 1721 (Very Low, 36.9); tract 1723 (Very Low, 31.5)
Hurricanetract 1722 (Very Low, 42.2); tract 1724 (Very Low, 41.5); tract 1723 (Very Low, 41.1)
Landslidetract 1723 (Relatively Low, 88.1); tract 1722 (Relatively Low, 84.0); tract 1721 (Very Low, 76.0)
Tornadotract 1724 (Very High, 99.0); tract 1723 (Relatively High, 89.6); tract 1721 (Relatively High, 88.1)
Wildfiretract 1723 (Relatively Moderate, 89.6); tract 1722 (Relatively Low, 84.8); tract 1721 (Relatively Low, 83.3)

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 1724 is Census Tract 1724). 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 chill0
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage0
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)67 records, 2005 to 2026 (67 zone-level)34 days to 498 days (median 114 days); 11 with a recorded value498 days (about 16.4 months), 2022-07-19 to 2023-11-28, a run of 17 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)158 records, 1957 to 20250.75 in to 3 in (median 0.88 in); 157 with a recorded value3 in hail, 2003-05-04Hail, 2012-09-07, $100,000 property; $0 crops (2012 dollars)No event record names a jurisdiction in the plan.
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)56 records, 2006 to 2025 (56 zone-level)1 day to 26 days (median 2 days); 51 with a recorded value26 consecutive days, 2011-07-14 to 2011-08-08, 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)10 records, 1996 to 2017 (10 zone-level)Ice Storm, 2007-12-08, $20,000,000 property; $0 crops (2007 dollars); NWS zone OKZ056Countywide (zone-level records).
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)63 records, 1996 to 2026 (1 zone-level)Flood, 2007-07-01, $250,000 property; $0 crops (2007 dollars)No event record names a jurisdiction in the plan. 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)1 record, 1996Lightning, 1996-05-26, $5,000 property; crops not reported (1996 dollars)No event record names a jurisdiction in the plan.Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties.
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)4 records, 1998 to 2025 (4 zone-level)50 kt (58 mph) to 52 kt (60 mph) (median 51 kt (59 mph)); 3 with a recorded value52 kt (60 mph) measured gust, High Wind, 2005-11-27; NWS zone OKZ056Countywide (zone-level records).
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)207 records, 1956 to 202650 kt (58 mph) to 87 kt (100 mph) (median 56 kt (64 mph)); 141 with a recorded value87 kt (100 mph) estimated gust, Thunderstorm Wind, 2012-09-07, 3 direct deathsThunderstorm Wind, 2002-08-23, $3,500,000 property; crops not reported (2002 dollars)No event record names a jurisdiction in the plan.Speeds under 20 kt (likely entry errors) are left out of the observed range.
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)43 records, 1956 to 2024F/EF0 to F/EF3 (median F/EF1); 38 with a recorded valueF3 tornado, 1979-03-18, 4.1 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 30 yd wide, $25,000 property; crops not recorded (1979 dollars)Tornado, 1981-05-23, $250,000 property; crops not recorded (1981 dollars)No 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).
Wildfireacres burned (local data)2 records, 2006 to 2015 (2 zone-level)Wildfire, 2015-11-11, $250,000 property; $0 crops (2015 dollars); NWS zone OKZ056Countywide (zone-level records).
Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleetnone in data (snowfall: local data)38 records, 1996 to 2026 (38 zone-level)No damage reported in 38 records.Countywide (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: 31 declarations covering 24 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
2024-04-302024-04-25DR-4776-OKMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and FloodingTornado (primary); also designated: Inland Flooding, Strong WindPA not declared for this countywithin last 5 years
2021-02-242021-02-08DR-4587-OKMajor disasterSevere Winter StormsIce Stormno Public Assistance recorded
2021-02-172021-02-08EM-3555-OKEmergencySevere Winter StormIce Stormno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4587
2020-04-052020-01-20DR-4530-OKMajor disasterCOVID-19 PandemicNon-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recorded
2020-03-132020-01-20EM-3462-OKEmergencyCOVID-19Non-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4530
2019-07-122019-04-30DR-4453-OKMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingInland Flooding; Strong Wind; Tornado$25,988.36
2019-06-012019-05-07DR-4438-OKMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Strong Wind; Tornado$1,988,846.76
2015-11-112015-11-11FM-5117-OKFire managementDld Fire ComplexWildfireno Public Assistance recorded
2015-05-262015-05-05DR-4222-OKMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingInland Flooding; Strong Wind; Tornado$98,428.81
2013-05-202013-05-18DR-4117-OKMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingTornado (primary); also designated: Inland Flooding$146,200.61
2012-06-142012-04-28DR-4064-OKMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingInland Flooding; Strong Wind; Tornado$48,208.49
2011-06-062011-05-22DR-1989-OKMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingInland Flooding; Strong Wind; Tornado$52,943.05
2011-05-132011-01-31DR-1985-OKMajor disasterSevere Winter Storm and SnowstormWinter Weather$53,206.20
2011-02-022011-01-31EM-3316-OKEmergencySevere Winter StormWinter Weatherno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-1985
2010-03-052010-01-28DR-1883-OKMajor disasterSevere Winter StormIce Storm$60,813.46
2010-02-252009-12-24DR-1876-OKMajor disasterSevere Winter StormWinter Weather$132,743.26
2010-01-302010-01-28EM-3308-OKEmergencySevere Winter StormWinter Weatherno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-1883
2008-07-092008-06-03DR-1775-OKMajor disasterSevere Storms and FloodingInland Flooding$320,420.15
2007-12-182007-12-08DR-1735-OKMajor disasterSevere Winter StormsIce Storm$423,988.75
2007-12-102007-12-08EM-3280-OKEmergencySevere Winter StormsIce Stormno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-1735
2007-07-072007-06-10DR-1712-OKMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, and TornadoesInland Flooding; Tornado$1,011,566.71
2007-06-072007-05-04DR-1707-OKMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornado$217,743.61
2007-01-142007-01-12EM-3272-OKEmergencySevere Winter Storms and FloodingIce Storm$3,549.05
2006-01-102005-11-27DR-1623-OKMajor disasterExtreme Wildfire ThreatWildfire$15,650.65
2005-09-052005-08-29EM-3219-OKEmergencyHurricane Katrina EvacuationHurricane: evacuation support, not a local hazard event; not countedno Public Assistance recorded
2003-05-102003-05-08DR-1465-OKMajor disasterSevere Storms and TornadoesTornado$52,343.85
2002-02-012002-01-30DR-1401-OKMajor disasterSevere Winter Ice StormIce StormPA not declared for this county
2001-01-052000-12-25DR-1355-OKMajor disasterSevere Winter Ice StormIce Storm$637,222.98
1995-06-261995-05-26DR-1058-OKMajor disasterTornadoes, Severe Storms and FloodingTornado (primary); also designated: Inland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1993-05-121993-05-08DR-991-OKMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes & FloodingInland Flooding; Tornadono Public Assistance recorded
1986-10-141986-09-26DR-778-OKMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland 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
1995-04-191995-04-19EM-3115-OKEmergencyExplosion at Federal Courthouse in Oklahoma CityNon-natural, not counted
1960-07-151960-07-15DR-104-OKMajor disasterHeavy Rains, Hail, Floods & TornadoesHail; Inland Flooding; Tornado
1959-11-091959-11-09DR-95-OKMajor disasterHeavy Rains & FloodsInland Flooding
1959-07-081959-07-08DR-92-OKMajor disasterFloodInland Flooding
1957-05-181957-05-18DR-74-OKMajor disasterFloodInland Flooding
1956-04-071956-04-07DR-54-OKMajor disasterTornadoesTornado
1955-06-011955-06-01DR-35-OKMajor disasterFlood & TornadoInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Tornado

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.

13 Fire Management declarations (1971-04-08 to 2012-07-30) FEMA filed as Statewide with no county; each names one local fire. Listed on the state page.

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 Wave0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Drought672801996 to 2026-06-30
Earthquake000Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail158401955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave562301996 to 2026-06-30
Hurricane0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Ice Storm10061996 to 2026-06-30
Inland Flooding631131996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Lightning1001996 to 2026-06-30
Strong Wind2111061955 to 2026-06-30Includes 4 High Wind records.
Tornado432121950 to 2026-06-30
Wildfire2021996 to 2026-06-30
Winter Weather38531996 to 2026-06-30

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationFlagsWhy listed
2022-07-19Drought$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2022 dollars)0, 0NWS zone OKZ056 (NOWATA), zone-levelwithin last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Drought
2015-11-11Wildfire$250,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2015 dollars)0, 0NWS zone OKZ056 (NOWATA), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Wildfire
2012-09-07Thunderstorm Wind87 kt (100 mph) estimated gust$250,000 property; $0 crops (2012 dollars)3, 0NOWATA ARPTdeaths or injuries recorded
2011-07-14Excessive Heat$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2011 dollars)0, 0NWS zone OKZ056 (NOWATA), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Excessive Heat, Heat
2007-12-08Ice Storm$20,000,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2007 dollars)0, 0NWS zone OKZ056 (NOWATA), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Ice Storm
2007-07-01Flood$250,000 property; $0 crops (2007 dollars)0, 0LENAPAHB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood
2005-11-27High Wind52 kt (60 mph) measured gustdamage not reported0, 0NWS zone OKZ056 (NOWATA), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: High Wind and Strong Wind
2003-05-04Hail3 indamage not reported0, 0NOWATAB1-c worst recorded: Hail
1996-05-26Lightning$5,000 property; crops not reported (1996 dollars)0, 0NOWATAB1-c worst recorded: Lightning
1981-05-23TornadoF2, 9.5 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 33 yd widedamage not recorded (pre-1996 record)0, 3location not recordeddeaths or injuries recorded
1981-05-23TornadoF2, 4.5 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 100 yd wide$250,000 property; crops not recorded (1981 dollars)0, 3location not recordeddeaths or injuries recorded
1979-03-18TornadoF3, 4.1 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 30 yd wide$25,000 property; crops not recorded (1979 dollars)0, 0location not recordedB1-c worst recorded: Tornado

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (649 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 Wave2event-days per yearabout 2 days per yearStorm Events event-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)382005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywideNo Storm Events cold wave record, 1996 to 2025.
Drought34.5event-days per yearabout 34.5 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 11 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (36.7%)9732000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywide
Earthquake0.00123annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 0.123%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail8.15events per yearabout 8.15 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)310.3 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Wave23.5event-days per yearabout 23.5 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 18 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (60%)3142005-11-12 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 Storm1.04event-days per yearabout 1.04 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 8 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (26.7%)711946-12-31 to 2014-02-12 (67 years)countywide
Inland Flooding1.82event-days per yearabout 1.82 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 21 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (70%)511996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide0.104events per year (modeled)about 1 in 10 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning54.6days per year with a strikeabout 54.6 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind6.7events per yearabout 6.7 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)2551986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.557events per yearabout 0.56 per yearLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Wildfire0.00171annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 0.171%PossibleStorm Events records in 2 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (6.67%)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Winter Weather9.37event-days per yearabout 9.37 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 22 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (73.3%)1782005-11-12 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 202536301.2
Hail2.00 in+1996 to 20258300.267
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 202592303.07
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)65 kt+1996 to 202522300.733
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)unmeasured or below 50 kt1996 to 202532301.07
TornadoEF0-11996 to 202517300.567
TornadoEF2-31996 to 20251300.0333
TornadoEF4-51996 to 20250300
Tornadounrated (EFU)1996 to 20254300.133

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 Wave4 of 488.690.996.9Very High 1, Relatively High 3
Drought4 of 475.094.897.6Relatively Moderate 3, Very Low 1
Earthquake4 of 428.634.263.8Relatively Low 1, Very Low 3
Hail4 of 463.965.378.2Relatively Moderate 1, Relatively Low 3
Heat Wave4 of 481.683.194.5Relatively High 1, Relatively Moderate 3
Hurricane4 of 438.841.342.2Very Low 4
Ice Storm4 of 498.499.399.9Very High 4
Inland Flooding4 of 450.965.873.5Relatively Moderate 4
Landslide4 of 466.180.088.1Relatively Low 2, Very Low 2
Lightning4 of 461.564.289.4Relatively High 1, Relatively Moderate 3
Strong Wind4 of 499.499.599.9Very High 4
Tornado4 of 486.088.899.0Very High 1, Relatively High 3
Wildfire4 of 482.484.089.6Relatively Moderate 1, Relatively Low 3
Winter Weather4 of 470.675.491.3Relatively High 1, Relatively Moderate 3

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.

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).

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
No rows for this unit.

No city, town, township or county rows in FEMA plan data for this unit; same as county.

School districts and special districts get a plan clock row only.

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$1,660,641,885$69,547,9309,311$26$147,681$934,761under 0.0001%
Droughtn/a$5,030,503n/an/a$296,728n/a5.9% (agriculture)NRI has no building exposure for this hazard; agriculture shown
Earthquake$2,890,458,337n/a9,320$47,847n/a$19,5880.00166%
Hail$1,660,641,885$69,547,9309,311$42,098$8,385$7,8690.00254%
Heat Wave$1,660,641,885$69,547,9309,311$425$446$451,125under 0.0001%
Hurricane$1,660,641,885$69,547,9309,311$3,221$3,136$240.000194%
Ice Storm$1,660,567,771n/a9,310$889,314n/a$6,9570.0536%
Inland Flooding$1,659,724,173$6,861,505322$1,996,060$162,660$39,035n/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$5,308,237n/a31$9n/a$3880.000164%
Lightning$1,660,641,885n/a9,311$4,444n/a$63,1750.000268%
Strong Wind$1,660,641,885$69,547,9309,311$220,621$10,574$1,516,7860.0133%
Tornado$1,660,641,885$69,547,9309,311$302,771$3,056$1,022,4500.0182%
Wildfire$185,946,830$41,137,8832,703$27,179$498$11,8500.0146%
Winter Weather$1,660,641,885$69,547,9309,311$20,525$777$6,0200.00124%

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
Population9,311
Building value (total, not at risk)$1,660,641,885
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$69,547,930
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Very Low
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$4,188,479
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)$4,080,028
Social vulnerability ratingVery High
Community resilience ratingVery Low
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 total and NFIP communities

Sources: 1, 4

ScopeRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
County total0010100
of which: Nowata city (community ID not in plan data)0010100

County repeat-flood properties by occupancy group

Sources: 1, 4

Occupancy groupRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
single-family residential0010100
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). Nowata County, OK: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 40105). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/ok/40105/ 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: contact@hazardplain.org