Whatcom County, Washington

Whatcom County, Washington has a moderate overall risk from natural hazards in FEMA's National Risk Index. Its risk score is higher than 91% of US counties. It ranks 10th of 39 counties in Washington. The costliest hazards here are earthquakes, inland flooding and avalanches. FEMA estimates about $111 million a year in expected losses, or roughly $492 per resident. Since 1971 it has been included in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations for natural events (21 major disasters). The most recent was in April 2026 (severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides). About 1 in 53 homes here carry federal flood insurance (1,497 policies). Since 1978, federal flood insurance has paid about $53 million on 1,211 claims here, including $23 million for floods in 2021.

FEMA National Risk Index December 2025; OpenFEMA declarations to Nov 6, 2026; NFIP records. Updated November 6, 2026.

Scores are percentiles: a score of 90 means higher risk than about 90% of US counties for that hazard. Hazards FEMA does not rate here are left out. Social vulnerability is relatively low and community resilience is relatively high in FEMA's measures.

The National Weather Service has logged 20 storm reports in Whatcom County since 1996, with 1 death and 2 injuries and about $49.5 million in reported damage. The strongest on record here was an F0 tornado on April 27, 2004 near Sumas.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, county-based reports through Jul 24, 2024. Tornado records start in 1950, hail and wind in 1955, and floods and other storm types in 1996, so older decades undercount. Damage is in dollars of the year it happened and is often an estimate. Winter storms, heat and hurricanes are logged by forecast zone, not county, so they are not counted here.

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) records only; private flood policies are not included. Home counts as of Aug 3, 2026. Since 2021 NFIP prices each home separately under Risk Rating 2.0, so your price depends on the building, not the county. Ask an agent for a quote.

Older homes and mobile homes usually suffer more damage in storms, floods and earthquakes, and can cost more to insure. If you are buying, ask about roof age, foundation bolting and any retrofits. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-year estimates; 103,520 housing units.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, and NFIP policy and claims data. Hazard Compass is independent and not affiliated with FEMA. These figures describe the whole county, not a single property, and are not insurance or safety advice. Report a problem.