Cleveland County, North Carolina: hazard risk
FEMA rates Cleveland County's overall risk Relatively Low (score 70.0 of 100, higher than 69% of rated U.S. counties); 2 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by ice storm, lightning. Its storm record holds 681 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | 93.6 | $1.3M |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 82.0 | $766K |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 79.8 | $3.7M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | 78.6 | $1.2M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 75.2 | $15M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 81.8 | $1.9M |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 73.7 | $786K |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 68.4 | $495K |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 59.3 | $259K |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 54.6 | $442K |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | 51.0 | $950K |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | 38.6 | $41K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 53.7 | $2K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 40.7 | $26K |
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 | 276 | 0 | $1.2M | 14th of 100 | 227th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 168 | 0 | – | 12th of 100 | 281st of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 82 | 0 | $15M | 38th of 100 | 847th of 3,077 |
| Drought | 37 | 0 | – | 19th of 100 | 497th of 3,063 |
| Tornadoes | 28 | 0 | $65M | 13th of 100 | 620th of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 25 | 0 | $4.7M | 4th of 100 | 100th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 21 | 0 | $3.9M | 86th of 100 | 1739th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 19 | 0 | $1.0M | 45th of 100 | 1053rd of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 12 | 0 | $2.8M | 24th of 100 | 939th of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 5 | 0 | $547K | 38th of 100 | 822nd of 3,080 |
| Heat | 2 | 0 | – | 62nd of 100 | 1943rd of 3,076 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 2 | 2 | $2.8M | 83rd of 100 | 747th 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 Cleveland County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.