Buncombe County, North Carolina: hazard risk
FEMA rates Buncombe County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 89.3 of 100, higher than 89% of rated U.S. counties); 5 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by lightning, landslide, cold wave. Its storm record holds 892 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 | Very High | 96.6 | $2.4M |
| Landslide | Relatively High | 98.9 | $1.3M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | 97.2 | $17M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | 94.2 | $1.5M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | 92.6 | $2.5M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 91.7 | $48M |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 81.3 | $4.4M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | 77.1 | $187K |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 75.2 | $728K |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | 65.2 | $409K |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 85.4 | $3.0M |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 80.6 | $447K |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 68.6 | $544K |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 2.2 | $1 |
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 | 264 | 0 | $114K | 16th of 100 | 197th of 3,077 |
| Hail | 207 | 0 | $8K | 18th of 100 | 482nd of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 202 | 2 | $744K | 59th of 100 | 1009th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 68 | 1 | $2.2M | 12th of 100 | 312th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 52 | 26 | $700M | 55th of 100 | 1234th of 3,080 |
| Drought | 35 | 0 | – | 35th of 100 | 884th of 3,063 |
| Extreme cold | 24 | 0 | $14M | 18th of 100 | 705th of 3,076 |
| Lightning | 14 | 1 | $446K | 28th of 100 | 339th of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 9 | 0 | $590K | 26th of 100 | 679th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 7 | 0 | $4.4M | 95th of 100 | 2516th of 3,080 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 5 | 13 | $32M | 8th of 100 | 108th of 2,278 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 2 | 0 | $33M | 90th of 100 | 832nd of 1,849 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Buncombe County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.