North Carolina Natural Disaster Risk by County
Of North Carolina's 100 counties, 0 have a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is Mecklenburg County (score 97.1 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $4.4 billion a year.
OpenFEMA lists 83 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for North Carolina since 1954 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is EM-3637-NC, Severe Winter Storm, declared 24 January 2026.
Live weather alerts for North Carolina Latest FEMA declarations All official warnings
Most exposed counties, hazard by hazard
Top 10 by FEMA hazard risk scoreHurricane 100 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hanover County | Very High | $181 million |
| 2 | Brunswick County | Very High | $111 million |
| 3 | Onslow County | Very High | $171 million |
| 4 | Carteret County | Very High | $109 million |
| 5 | Craven County | Very High | $92 million |
| 6 | Dare County | Relatively High | $65 million |
| 7 | Beaufort County | Relatively High | $40 million |
| 8 | Duplin County | Relatively High | $37 million |
| 9 | Sampson County | Relatively High | $35 million |
| 10 | Pender County | Relatively High | $43 million |
Tornado 100 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mecklenburg County | Relatively High | $24 million |
| 2 | Robeson County | Relatively High | $10 million |
| 3 | Wake County | Relatively High | $20 million |
| 4 | Union County | Relatively High | $16 million |
| 5 | Pitt County | Relatively High | $11 million |
| 6 | Johnston County | Relatively High | $11 million |
| 7 | Durham County | Relatively High | $11 million |
| 8 | Cumberland County | Relatively High | $10 million |
| 9 | Gaston County | Relatively High | $8.4 million |
| 10 | Forsyth County | Relatively High | $7.7 million |
Inland flooding 100 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mecklenburg County | Relatively High | $256 million |
| 2 | Wake County | Relatively High | $222 million |
| 3 | Guilford County | Relatively High | $101 million |
| 4 | Forsyth County | Relatively High | $72 million |
| 5 | Union County | Relatively Moderate | $73 million |
| 6 | Durham County | Relatively Moderate | $57 million |
| 7 | Cabarrus County | Relatively Moderate | $65 million |
| 8 | Buncombe County | Relatively Moderate | $48 million |
| 9 | Davidson County | Relatively Moderate | $44 million |
| 10 | New Hanover County | Relatively Moderate | $46 million |
Coastal flooding 28 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brunswick County | Relatively High | $4.4 million |
| 2 | New Hanover County | Relatively High | $6.7 million |
| 3 | Carteret County | Relatively High | $4.5 million |
| 4 | Dare County | Relatively High | $4.3 million |
| 5 | Hyde County | Relatively High | $2.2 million |
| 6 | Beaufort County | Relatively Moderate | $2.0 million |
| 7 | Pender County | Relatively Moderate | $2.7 million |
| 8 | Onslow County | Relatively Moderate | $2.8 million |
| 9 | Tyrrell County | Relatively Moderate | $634,972 |
| 10 | Pasquotank County | Relatively Moderate | $607,834 |
Wildfire 100 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brunswick County | Relatively Moderate | $1.9 million |
| 2 | Carteret County | Relatively Low | $1.0 million |
| 3 | Robeson County | Relatively Low | $572,843 |
| 4 | Pender County | Relatively Low | $896,559 |
| 5 | Onslow County | Relatively Low | $967,906 |
| 6 | Bladen County | Relatively Low | $486,727 |
| 7 | Cumberland County | Relatively Low | $733,216 |
| 8 | Craven County | Relatively Low | $492,227 |
| 9 | New Hanover County | Relatively Low | $675,259 |
| 10 | Dare County | Relatively Low | $545,891 |
Earthquake 100 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mecklenburg County | Relatively Moderate | $11 million |
| 2 | Robeson County | Relatively Moderate | $3.4 million |
| 3 | Forsyth County | Relatively Low | $3.9 million |
| 4 | Wake County | Relatively Low | $5.9 million |
| 5 | Guilford County | Relatively Low | $3.6 million |
| 6 | Cumberland County | Relatively Low | $4.0 million |
| 7 | Catawba County | Relatively Low | $3.2 million |
| 8 | Gaston County | Relatively Low | $3.2 million |
| 9 | Buncombe County | Relatively Low | $3.0 million |
| 10 | Union County | Relatively Low | $4.0 million |
Every North Carolina county, highest overall risk first
100| # | County | Overall risk | Score | Loss a year | Top hazard | Declarations | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mecklenburg County | Relatively High | 97.1 | $318 million | Inland flooding | 16 | 26 |
| 2 | New Hanover County | Relatively High | 96.1 | $257 million | Hurricane | 30 | 33 |
| 3 | Brunswick County | Relatively High | 95.8 | $153 million | Hurricane | 33 | 44 |
| 4 | Wake County | Relatively High | 95.5 | $299 million | Hail | 24 | 40 |
| 5 | Onslow County | Relatively High | 95.0 | $216 million | Hurricane | 28 | 49 |
| 6 | Craven County | Relatively Moderate | 93.6 | $118 million | Hurricane | 30 | 40 |
| 7 | Carteret County | Relatively Moderate | 93.5 | $129 million | Hurricane | 28 | 81 |
| 8 | Guilford County | Relatively Moderate | 93.4 | $135 million | Ice storm | 26 | 16 |
| 9 | Forsyth County | Relatively Moderate | 91.5 | $104 million | Ice storm | 23 | 16 |
| 10 | Robeson County | Relatively Moderate | 91.1 | $57 million | Strong wind | 22 | 46 |
| 11 | Wayne County | Relatively Moderate | 90.4 | $66 million | Winter weather | 26 | 30 |
| 12 | Sampson County | Relatively Moderate | 90.2 | $55 million | Strong wind | 23 | 23 |
| 13 | Pitt County | Relatively Moderate | 89.8 | $81 million | Winter weather | 28 | 33 |
| 14 | Durham County | Relatively Moderate | 89.6 | $91 million | Heat wave | 23 | 11 |
| 15 | Dare County | Relatively Moderate | 89.6 | $81 million | Hurricane | 29 | 41 |
| 16 | Cumberland County | Relatively Moderate | 89.5 | $90 million | Winter weather | 21 | 21 |
| 17 | Duplin County | Relatively Moderate | 89.4 | $53 million | Hurricane | 24 | 42 |
| 18 | Buncombe County | Relatively Moderate | 89.3 | $82 million | Landslide | 19 | 7 |
| 19 | Union County | Relatively Moderate | 89.1 | $110 million | Ice storm | 19 | 23 |
| 20 | Beaufort County | Relatively Moderate | 88.2 | $54 million | Hurricane | 30 | 40 |
| 21 | Davidson County | Relatively Moderate | 87.2 | $64 million | Ice storm | 27 | 16 |
| 22 | Cabarrus County | Relatively Moderate | 87.1 | $86 million | Ice storm | 17 | 16 |
| 23 | Pender County | Relatively Moderate | 86.9 | $67 million | Hurricane | 29 | 48 |
| 24 | Columbus County | Relatively Moderate | 86.9 | $42 million | Strong wind | 27 | 31 |
| 25 | Johnston County | Relatively Moderate | 85.6 | $62 million | Winter weather | 25 | 25 |
| 26 | Gaston County | Relatively Moderate | 84.9 | $59 million | Ice storm | 18 | 19 |
| 27 | Bladen County | Relatively Moderate | 84.6 | $39 million | Strong wind | 25 | 29 |
| 28 | Lenoir County | Relatively Moderate | 84.6 | $36 million | Winter weather | 27 | 30 |
| 29 | Henderson County | Relatively Moderate | 83.8 | $41 million | Ice storm | 16 | 4 |
| 30 | Rowan County | Relatively Moderate | 82.9 | $48 million | Ice storm | 19 | 14 |
| 31 | Wilkes County | Relatively Moderate | 82.6 | $33 million | Ice storm | 20 | 12 |
| 32 | Iredell County | Relatively Low | 80.8 | $53 million | Ice storm | 21 | 23 |
| 33 | Catawba County | Relatively Low | 80.6 | $45 million | Ice storm | 19 | 20 |
| 34 | Randolph County | Relatively Low | 80.6 | $39 million | Ice storm | 22 | 17 |
| 35 | Nash County | Relatively Low | 80.6 | $37 million | Winter weather | 26 | 19 |
| 36 | Jackson County | Relatively Low | 80.5 | $29 million | Landslide | 17 | 5 |
| 37 | Orange County | Relatively Low | 79.1 | $50 million | Winter weather | 24 | 12 |
| 38 | Haywood County | Relatively Low | 77.2 | $32 million | Landslide | 19 | 2 |
| 39 | Alamance County | Relatively Low | 77.1 | $41 million | Winter weather | 25 | 11 |
| 40 | Edgecombe County | Relatively Low | 76.4 | $24 million | Strong wind | 25 | 16 |
| 41 | Wilson County | Relatively Low | 76.3 | $30 million | Winter weather | 26 | 20 |
| 42 | Moore County | Relatively Low | 75.6 | $35 million | Hurricane | 21 | 16 |
| 43 | Harnett County | Relatively Low | 75.3 | $37 million | Hurricane | 21 | 27 |
| 44 | Lincoln County | Relatively Low | 73.8 | $32 million | Ice storm | 19 | 23 |
| 45 | Macon County | Relatively Low | 73.8 | $24 million | Landslide | 15 | 4 |
| 46 | Surry County | Relatively Low | 73.6 | $27 million | Cold wave | 18 | 10 |
| 47 | Halifax County | Relatively Low | 72.9 | $20 million | Winter weather | 24 | 15 |
| 48 | Rutherford County | Relatively Low | 72.7 | $24 million | Strong wind | 20 | 10 |
| 49 | Pamlico County | Relatively Low | 72.4 | $23 million | Hurricane | 28 | 17 |
| 50 | Watauga County | Relatively Low | 71.9 | $26 million | Landslide | 22 | 4 |
| 51 | Rockingham County | Relatively Low | 71.9 | $25 million | Inland flooding | 23 | 13 |
| 52 | Burke County | Relatively Low | 70.2 | $23 million | Ice storm | 22 | 10 |
| 53 | Cleveland County | Relatively Low | 70.0 | $27 million | Ice storm | 18 | 25 |
| 54 | Hertford County | Relatively Low | 68.2 | $17 million | Hurricane | 26 | 17 |
| 55 | Lee County | Relatively Low | 67.5 | $20 million | Hurricane | 21 | 6 |
| 56 | Caldwell County | Relatively Low | 67.4 | $25 million | Landslide | 21 | 11 |
| 57 | Chatham County | Relatively Low | 67.2 | $25 million | Hurricane | 20 | 12 |
| 58 | Ashe County | Relatively Low | 66.8 | $18 million | Landslide | 24 | 1 |
| 59 | Bertie County | Relatively Low | 66.4 | $17 million | Hurricane | 26 | 30 |
| 60 | Hyde County | Relatively Low | 66.4 | $16 million | Hurricane | 30 | 21 |
| 61 | Martin County | Relatively Low | 65.5 | $21 million | Hurricane | 21 | 21 |
| 62 | Jones County | Relatively Low | 64.5 | $14 million | Hurricane | 25 | 23 |
| 63 | Transylvania County | Relatively Low | 64.2 | $18 million | Landslide | 16 | 3 |
| 64 | Scotland County | Relatively Low | 63.6 | $14 million | Hurricane | 17 | 7 |
| 65 | Greene County | Relatively Low | 62.6 | $14 million | Hurricane | 25 | 20 |
| 66 | Richmond County | Relatively Low | 60.8 | $16 million | Hurricane | 18 | 4 |
| 67 | Washington County | Relatively Low | 59.6 | $14 million | Hurricane | 22 | 13 |
| 68 | Granville County | Relatively Low | 59.4 | $20 million | Hurricane | 24 | 9 |
| 69 | McDowell County | Relatively Low | 59.2 | $17 million | Landslide | 19 | 6 |
| 70 | Stanly County | Relatively Low | 58.8 | $22 million | Ice storm | 19 | 17 |
| 71 | Pasquotank County | Relatively Low | 58.7 | $18 million | Hurricane | 21 | 20 |
| 72 | Cherokee County | Relatively Low | 56.7 | $15 million | Landslide | 14 | 8 |
| 73 | Franklin County | Relatively Low | 51.7 | $17 million | Winter weather | 21 | 13 |
| 74 | Warren County | Relatively Low | 50.8 | $10 million | Hurricane | 22 | 6 |
| 75 | Hoke County | Relatively Low | 50.1 | $13 million | Hurricane | 18 | 11 |
| 76 | Anson County | Relatively Low | 50.0 | $10 million | Hurricane | 20 | 8 |
| 77 | Swain County | Relatively Low | 49.1 | $9.8 million | Landslide | 15 | 4 |
| 78 | Montgomery County | Relatively Low | 49.0 | $12 million | Hurricane | 22 | 8 |
| 79 | Vance County | Relatively Low | 48.4 | $11 million | Winter weather | 21 | 9 |
| 80 | Avery County | Relatively Low | 47.5 | $11 million | Landslide | 20 | 2 |
| 81 | Tyrrell County | Relatively Low | 46.0 | $9.2 million | Hurricane | 23 | 17 |
| 82 | Alexander County | Relatively Low | 45.8 | $11 million | Ice storm | 17 | 11 |
| 83 | Northampton County | Relatively Low | 44.2 | $8.3 million | Drought | 23 | 16 |
| 84 | Yancey County | Very Low | 42.2 | $8.8 million | Landslide | 21 | 3 |
| 85 | Davie County | Very Low | 41.7 | $13 million | Ice storm | 20 | 7 |
| 86 | Person County | Very Low | 41.5 | $9.8 million | Drought | 25 | 10 |
| 87 | Stokes County | Very Low | 39.7 | $11 million | Ice storm | 23 | 10 |
| 88 | Yadkin County | Very Low | 38.4 | $9.6 million | Ice storm | 19 | 10 |
| 89 | Perquimans County | Very Low | 37.7 | $9.4 million | Hurricane | 22 | 14 |
| 90 | Polk County | Very Low | 36.9 | $8.0 million | Landslide | 21 | 4 |
| 91 | Alleghany County | Very Low | 34.7 | $6.6 million | Landslide | 18 | 3 |
| 92 | Chowan County | Very Low | 34.3 | $9.2 million | Hurricane | 24 | 14 |
| 93 | Madison County | Very Low | 27.4 | $9.1 million | Landslide | 21 | 5 |
| 94 | Clay County | Very Low | 26.9 | $5.1 million | Landslide | 11 | 5 |
| 95 | Mitchell County | Very Low | 24.0 | $6.9 million | Landslide | 19 | 0 |
| 96 | Caswell County | Very Low | 22.4 | $6.3 million | Hurricane | 23 | 6 |
| 97 | Graham County | Very Low | 20.1 | $5.5 million | Landslide | 15 | 1 |
| 98 | Currituck County | Very Low | 18.1 | $11 million | Hurricane | 22 | 10 |
| 99 | Gates County | Very Low | 10.5 | $4.7 million | Hurricane | 20 | 6 |
| 100 | Camden County | Very Low | 2.5 | $3.5 million | Hurricane | 21 | 6 |
Score: FEMA's national percentile (higher = more risk). Declarations: federal declarations that named the county since 1953, not counting COVID-19. Tornadoes: NOAA SPC tornadoes that touched the county, 1950–2025.
Latest federal declarations in North Carolina
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What this page shows, and what it misses
FEMA's National Risk Index compares every US county with every other for 18 natural hazards, combining expected losses with social vulnerability and community resilience. It is a planning-level estimate for nationwide comparison, not a flood-zone map and not the risk to any one property — for flood zones use FEMA's Flood Map Service Center ↗. Federal declarations exclude state declarations and SBA or USDA designations.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Risk Index Dataset: National Risk Index Counties - v1.20.0 (December 2025). Retrieved from https://services.arcgis.com/XG15cJAlne2vxtgt/ArcGIS/rest/services/National_Risk_Index_Counties/FeatureServer/0/query on November 2, 2026, 1:20 PM EST. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets 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).
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), OpenFEMA Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2, retrieved from https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries on November 2, 2026, 1:21 PM EST. 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).
Tornado records: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center, Severe Weather Database, tornadoes 1950–2025 (https://www.spc.noaa.gov/wcm/data/1950-2025_actual_tornadoes.csv, downloaded 2 November 2026). Public domain; not endorsed by NOAA. Compiled by Global Incident Tracker.
Questions about North Carolina
Which county in North Carolina has the highest natural disaster risk?
Of North Carolina's 100 counties, 0 have a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is Mecklenburg County (score 97.1 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $4.4 billion a year.
Which North Carolina counties are most at risk from tornadoes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index tornado risk score: Mecklenburg County, Robeson County, Wake County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
Which North Carolina counties are most at risk from hurricanes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index hurricane risk score: New Hanover County, Brunswick County, Onslow County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
How many FEMA disaster declarations has North Carolina had?
OpenFEMA lists 83 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for North Carolina since 1954 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is EM-3637-NC, Severe Winter Storm, declared 24 January 2026.