Bay County, Michigan: hazard risk
FEMA rates Bay County's overall risk Relatively Low (score 78.2 of 100, higher than 78% of rated U.S. counties); 3 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by winter weather, strong wind, cold wave. Its storm record holds 436 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 94.7 | $626K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | 94.4 | $2.8M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | 89.9 | $6.9M |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 84.0 | $4.9M |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 83.7 | $1.1M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 81.5 | $21M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | 62.6 | $148K |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 57.0 | $297K |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 53.6 | $435K |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Low | 45.8 | $51K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 42.1 | $169K |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 42.1 | $35K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 14.9 | $60 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 14.7 | $5K |
| Drought | 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 164 | 1 | $6.0M | 17th of 83 | 1080th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 99 | 0 | $25M | 18th of 83 | 1822nd of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 67 | 1 | $2.5M | 40th of 83 | 1013th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 34 | 0 | $15M | 3rd of 83 | 503rd of 3,080 |
| Floods | 21 | 1 | $17M | 6th of 83 | 1623rd of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 15 | 2 | $1.7M | 12th of 83 | 757th of 3,076 |
| Tornadoes | 14 | 0 | $10M | 26th of 83 | 1598th of 3,080 |
| Heat | 13 | 0 | – | 2nd of 83 | 785th of 3,076 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $95K | 15th of 83 | 791st of 3,080 |
| Drought | 2 | 0 | – | 2nd of 83 | 2229th of 3,063 |
| Heavy rain | 1 | 0 | $51K | 15th of 83 | 1841st of 3,080 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Bay County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.