Alger County, Michigan: hazard risk
FEMA rates Alger County's overall risk Very Low (score 9.6 of 100, higher than 9% of rated U.S. counties); 1 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by lightning. Its storm record holds 697 events since 1950.
FEMA's rating for each hazard
These are FEMA's county-wide model ratings and this county's storm record. They are not an assessment of any property, address or building, and not insurance advice: a property's risk depends on its own elevation, construction and location.
FEMA gives each hazard its own rating, and a rating does not follow the score from one hazard to the next: a hazard with a higher score can carry a lower rating than another. The table sorts by FEMA's rating, then by score (0 to 100, the county against every other county for that hazard).
| Hazard | Risk rating | Score | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively High | 82.5 | $639K |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 67.1 | $4K |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 60.7 | $302K |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | 37.6 | $464K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 28.9 | $10K |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | 22.0 | $2.1M |
| Winter Weather | Very Low | 20.5 | $14K |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | 16.6 | $9K |
| Drought | Very Low | 16.6 | $1K |
| Coastal Flooding | Very Low | 15.4 | $0 |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | 15.3 | $99K |
| Tornado | Very Low | 9.1 | $42K |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 4.8 | $4K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 1.0 | $800 |
| Hurricane | No Rating | 0.0 | $0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. A model of future loss, not a count of past events. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
What the record holds
| Hazard | Records | Deaths | Damage | Rank in state | Rank in U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 452 | 0 | $585K | 3rd of 83 | 127th of 3,077 |
| Hail | 84 | 0 | $9K | 59th of 83 | 2434th of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 53 | 0 | $397K | 77th of 83 | 2594th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 33 | 0 | $2.1M | 22nd of 83 | 1271st of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 28 | 0 | – | 14th of 83 | 817th of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 11 | 0 | $5K | 5th of 83 | 809th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 8 | 0 | $1.1M | 66th of 83 | 2851st of 3,080 |
| Heat | 7 | 0 | – | 20th of 83 | 1650th of 3,076 |
| Tornadoes | 7 | 0 | $2.4M | 69th of 83 | 2514th of 3,080 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 5 | 3 | $2K | 4th of 83 | 134th of 2,080 |
| Lightning | 3 | 1 | $23K | 39th of 83 | 1556th of 3,080 |
| Wildfires | 1 | 0 | – | 13th of 83 | 1121st of 2,972 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Alger County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.