Indiana cold wave risk
Lake County has the highest cold wave risk in Indiana, scoring 99.4 out of 100 — rated "Very High" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake County | 99.4 | Very High |
| 2 | Marion County | 98.7 | Relatively High |
| 3 | St. Joseph County | 96.9 | Relatively High |
| 4 | Tippecanoe County | 95.6 | Relatively High |
| 5 | Elkhart County | 94.6 | Relatively High |
| 6 | LaPorte County | 94.2 | Relatively High |
| 7 | Porter County | 93.8 | Relatively High |
| 8 | Hamilton County | 86.1 | Relatively Moderate |
| 9 | Vanderburgh County | 86 | Relatively Moderate |
| 10 | Kosciusko County | 85.4 | Relatively Moderate |
| 11 | Vigo County | 84.7 | Relatively Moderate |
| 12 | Floyd County | 83.6 | Relatively Moderate |
| 13 | Allen County | 82 | Relatively Moderate |
| 14 | Clark County | 78.8 | Relatively Moderate |
| 15 | Madison County | 78.2 | Relatively Moderate |
| 16 | Hendricks County | 77.2 | Relatively Moderate |
| 17 | Marshall County | 74.6 | Relatively Moderate |
| 18 | Cass County | 73.9 | Relatively Moderate |
| 19 | Howard County | 73.8 | Relatively Moderate |
| 20 | White County | 71.8 | Relatively Moderate |
| 21 | Montgomery County | 71.3 | Relatively Moderate |
| 22 | Starke County | 70.7 | Relatively Moderate |
| 23 | Jasper County | 70 | Relatively Moderate |
| 24 | LaGrange County | 69.8 | Relatively Moderate |
| 25 | Fountain County | 67.3 | Relatively Moderate |
| 26 | Miami County | 65.1 | Relatively Low |
| 27 | Dearborn County | 63.6 | Relatively Low |
| 28 | Morgan County | 62.3 | Relatively Low |
| 29 | Putnam County | 61.8 | Relatively Low |
| 30 | Parke County | 61.3 | Relatively Low |
| 31 | Vermillion County | 61 | Relatively Low |
| 32 | Wayne County | 60.5 | Relatively Low |
| 33 | Newton County | 60.4 | Relatively Low |
| 34 | Boone County | 59.9 | Relatively Low |
| 35 | Wabash County | 59.2 | Relatively Low |
| 36 | Fulton County | 59.1 | Relatively Low |
| 37 | Noble County | 58.6 | Relatively Low |
| 38 | Monroe County | 58 | Relatively Low |
| 39 | Harrison County | 57.6 | Relatively Low |
| 40 | Clinton County | 57.5 | Relatively Low |
| 41 | Johnson County | 57.2 | Relatively Low |
| 42 | Pulaski County | 56.9 | Relatively Low |
| 43 | Grant County | 55.9 | Relatively Low |
| 44 | Carroll County | 53 | Relatively Low |
| 45 | Delaware County | 49.7 | Relatively Low |
| 46 | Bartholomew County | 48.7 | Relatively Low |
| 47 | DeKalb County | 46.9 | Relatively Low |
| 48 | Adams County | 46.4 | Relatively Low |
| 49 | Clay County | 46.1 | Relatively Low |
| 50 | Warren County | 42.7 | Relatively Low |
| 51 | Benton County | 42.6 | Relatively Low |
| 52 | Washington County | 42.4 | Relatively Low |
| 53 | Ripley County | 42.3 | Relatively Low |
| 54 | Franklin County | 41.9 | Relatively Low |
| 55 | Huntington County | 41.4 | Relatively Low |
| 56 | Steuben County | 39.9 | Relatively Low |
| 57 | Sullivan County | 39.7 | Relatively Low |
| 58 | Dubois County | 38.6 | Relatively Low |
| 59 | Warrick County | 37.9 | Relatively Low |
| 60 | Owen County | 37.8 | Relatively Low |
| 61 | Jackson County | 36.5 | Relatively Low |
| 62 | Fayette County | 35.5 | Relatively Low |
| 63 | Jefferson County | 33.3 | Relatively Low |
| 64 | Greene County | 32.7 | Relatively Low |
| 65 | Daviess County | 31.7 | Relatively Low |
| 66 | Posey County | 31.6 | Relatively Low |
| 67 | Shelby County | 30.2 | Relatively Low |
| 68 | Lawrence County | 30.1 | Relatively Low |
| 69 | Whitley County | 29.6 | Relatively Low |
| 70 | Scott County | 29.3 | Relatively Low |
| 71 | Jennings County | 28.5 | Relatively Low |
| 72 | Orange County | 27.7 | Relatively Low |
| 73 | Hancock County | 27.1 | Relatively Low |
| 74 | Decatur County | 26.2 | Relatively Low |
| 75 | Jay County | 25.5 | Relatively Low |
| 76 | Tipton County | 25.2 | Relatively Low |
| 77 | Knox County | 25.1 | Relatively Low |
| 78 | Wells County | 25.1 | Relatively Low |
| 79 | Crawford County | 25 | Relatively Low |
| 80 | Perry County | 25 | Relatively Low |
| 81 | Gibson County | 24.6 | Relatively Low |
| 82 | Rush County | 24.4 | Relatively Low |
| 83 | Henry County | 24.2 | Relatively Low |
| 84 | Switzerland County | 21.1 | Very Low |
| 85 | Ohio County | 19.1 | Very Low |
| 86 | Randolph County | 19 | Very Low |
| 87 | Spencer County | 17.9 | Very Low |
| 88 | Brown County | 17.3 | Very Low |
| 89 | Blackford County | 15.9 | Very Low |
| 90 | Union County | 15.8 | Very Low |
| 91 | Martin County | 15.6 | Very Low |
| 92 | Pike County | 12.7 | Very Low |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Cold Wave risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Indiana:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest cold wave risk county in Indiana?
Lake County, IN has the highest cold wave risk in Indiana, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 99.4 out of 100 (rated "Very High").
How many counties in Indiana are rated Very High for cold wave risk?
1 of 92 scored Indiana counties are rated "Very High" for cold wave risk by FEMA's National Risk Index.
What causes cold wave risk in Indiana?
Cold wave risk captures expected losses from extended periods of extreme cold, including wind chill. The northern Plains, Great Lakes, and interior New England see the most severe and frequent cold events. Cold extremes cause significant excess mortality, especially among unhoused populations, the elderly, and those with inadequate heating or insulation. Cold and wind chill events are reported at forecast-zone level in NOAA Storm Events and are not included in county-level counts.