Nome Census Area, Alaska
Census Area storm and disaster record · FIPS 02180 · population 10,031 · 22,970 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 783 records for Nome Census Area, Alaska from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 485 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (504 records). 783 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the February 10, 2001 blizzard, filed for the forecast zone St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait, which covers the county: 1 death and 1 injury. FEMA has issued 11 declarations naming the county since 1989, 9 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Flooding, and Remnants of Typhoon Halong” on October 22, 2025.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 783on 485 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 34 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $69Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- FEMA declarations
- 11latest 2025
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Nome Census Area most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 504 since 2001. 45% of its winter storm records since 2001 fell in February and March. The rank column places the county among Alaska's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 504 | 334 | 2001-2026 | 2 | 4 | – | 16 of 29 |
| High wind and dust storms | 177 | 141 | 2001-2026 | 0 | 0 | $136K | 19 of 29 |
| Floods | 49 | 31 | 2002-2025 | 1 | 0 | $33M | 8 of 29 |
| Extreme cold | 20 | 14 | 2001-2012 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 of 29 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 18 | 9 | 2003-2005 | 0 | 0 | $35M | 5 of 29 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 15 | 13 | 2005-2019 | 0 | 0 | $197K | 2 of 29 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
When was the last damaging storm in Nome Census Area?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the October 12, 2025 high wind ($125,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-22 | BlizzardNome Census Area · forecast zone Southern Seward Peninsula Coast | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-22 | BlizzardNome Census Area · forecast zone Bering Strait Coast | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-06 | BlizzardNome Census Area · forecast zone Bering Strait Coast | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-05 | BlizzardNome Census Area · forecast zone Shishmaref | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-20 | Winter StormNome Census Area · forecast zone Southern Seward Peninsula Coast | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-20 | BlizzardNome Census Area · forecast zone Bering Strait Coast | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-16 | Winter StormNome Census Area · forecast zone Eastern Norton Sound And Nulato Hills | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-16 | BlizzardNome Census Area · forecast zone St. Lawrence Island | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-16 | BlizzardNome Census Area · forecast zone Bering Strait Coast | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-16 | BlizzardNome Census Area · forecast zone Shishmaref | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-16 | Heavy SnowNome Census Area · forecast zone Interior Seward Peninsula | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-16 | BlizzardNome Census Area · forecast zone Southern Seward Peninsula Coast | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-02-10 | BlizzardNome Census Area · forecast zone St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait A storm as low as 961 mb moved north over the Bering Sea on the 10th, filling to 983 mb by the time it reached the western Chukchi Sea on the evening of the 11th. The associated occluded front moved over the west coast of Alaska on the 10th, and offshore of the Arctic Coast the afternoon of the 11th. A small low ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2011-11-08 | Coastal FloodNome Census Area · forecast zone St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait A 960 mb low over the southern Aleutians at 0300AKST on the 8th intensified to 945 mb near the Gulf of Anadyr by 2100AKST on the 8th. The low crossed the Chukotsk Peninsula as a 956 mb low at 0900AKST on the 9th, and moved into the southern Chukchi Sea as a 958 mb low by 2100AKST on the 9th. The low then tracked to ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2004-12-24 | BlizzardNome Census Area · forecast zone St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait With strong high pressure of 1049 mb covering the interior of Alaska, an occluded weather front moved north over the Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea on the night of the 24th through the 25th.Blizzard conditions observed at:Zone 206 - likely at Anaktuvuk Pass AWOS.Zone 207 - likley at Point Hope AWOS; Kivalina ASOS.Zone 208 ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2009-02-12 | Heavy SnowNome Census Area · forecast zone Srn Seward Peninsula Coast On the morning of the 12th a 963 mb low in the western Bering Sea tracked slowly northeast and weakened to 996 mb east of Saint Lawrence Island through the evening of the 13th. The storm moved inland and filled on the 14th. The storm brought high winds, heavy snow, and blizzard conditions to much of the west coast. ... | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2009-02-12 | Winter StormKusilvak Census Area and 2 more · forecast zone Ern Norton Sound Nulato Hills On the morning of the 12th a 963 mb low in the western Bering Sea tracked slowly northeast and weakened to 996 mb east of Saint Lawrence Island through the evening of the 13th. The storm moved inland and filled on the 14th. The storm brought high winds, heavy snow, and blizzard conditions to much of the west coast. ... | 0 | 1 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-11-08 | Coastal FloodNome Census Area · forecast zone Srn Seward Peninsula Coast | 0 | 0 | $31M | |
| 2004-10-19 | Storm Surge/TideNome Census Area · forecast zone Srn Seward Peninsula Coast | 0 | 0 | $22M | |
| 2004-10-19 | Storm Surge/TideKusilvak Census Area and 2 more · forecast zone Ern Norton Sound Nulato Hills | 0 | 0 | $7.3M | |
| 2005-09-22 | Storm Surge/TideNome Census Area · forecast zone Srn Seward Peninsula Coast | 0 | 0 | $3.4M | |
| 2002-05-21 | FloodNome Census Area · forecast zone Srn Seward Peninsula Coast | 0 | 0 | $1.6M | |
| 2004-10-18 | Storm Surge/TideNome Census Area and 2 more · forecast zone Chukchi Sea Coast | 0 | 0 | $781K | |
| 2005-09-23 | Storm Surge/TideNome Census Area and 2 more · forecast zone Chukchi Sea Coast | 0 | 0 | $470K | |
| 2025-10-12 | High WindNome Census Area · forecast zone Eastern Norton Sound And Nulato Hills | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $125K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Nome Census Area's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 225 | 163 | 116 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 92 | 44 | 41 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 0 | 8 | 26 z | 15 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 0 | 12 | 8 | 0 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| Rip currents and high surf | – | – | – | – | 0 | 2 | 13 | 0 |
Floods in the 2010s: 26 records against 8 in the decade before, 26 of them forecast-zone records. Cells marked z rose mostly through zone records. The local National Weather Service office files these once per forecast zone, so a change in how it draws its zones or splits a storm into records moves this count as much as the weather does; read it beside the Nome Census Area days with a record above.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
45% of its winter storm records since 2001 fell in February and March. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 124 · Feb 165 · Mar 105 · Apr 64 · May 9 · Jun 0 · Jul 4 · Aug 11 · Sep 21 · Oct 49 · Nov 109 · Dec 122 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Nome Census Area
FEMA's register lists 11 declarations that include Nome Census Area: 10 major disasters, one emergency and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (6) and flood (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-22 | DR-4893 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Remnants of Typhoon Halong |
| 2025-01-15 | DR-4859 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm and Flooding |
| 2023-08-23 | DR-4730 | Flood | Flooding |
| 2022-09-23 | DR-4672 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm, Flooding, and Landslides |
| 2020-04-09 | DR-4533 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3446 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2014-01-23 | DR-4162 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2011-12-22 | DR-4050 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding |
| 2005-12-09 | DR-1618 | Severe Storm | Severe Fall Storm, Tidal Surges, and Flooding |
| 2004-11-15 | DR-1571 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm, Tidal Surges and Flooding |
| 1989-05-10 | DR-826 | Freezing | Severe Freezing |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Nome Census Area had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 49 flood or flash flood records for Nome Census Area from 2002 to 2025, on 31 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Nome Census Area ranks 2003rd of 2,942 U.S. counties.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typhoon Halong | 2025-10-12 | 1 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $1.5 million on 25 claims filed in Nome Census Area; the most in one year was 10 in 2004. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1992: 3 · 1996: 1 · 2004: 10 · 2005: 1 · 2022: 10; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Nome Census Area
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Nome Census Area Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $6.2 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | $4.9M | 10 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | $202K | 26 a year (modeled) |
| Volcanic Activity | Relatively Low | $7K | once in about 5,000 years (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | $17K | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $574K | once in about 51 years (modeled) |
| Avalanche | Very Low | $752 | once in about 30 years (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Very Low | $20K | once in about 2,215 years (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | $3K | once in about 67 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Nome Census Area
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Winter storms in AlaskaThe state's winter storm records, by county, year and month
- The Alaska recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Nome Census AreaThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Nome Census Area's FEMA declarations (CSV)11 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis