Cumberland County, North Carolina: hazard risk
FEMA rates Cumberland County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 89.5 of 100, higher than 89% of rated U.S. counties); 5 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by winter weather, hurricane, lightning. Its storm record holds 679 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 | Very High | 97.5 | $1.2M |
| Hurricane | Relatively High | 94.0 | $19M |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 93.1 | $1.7M |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 93.0 | $10M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | 91.3 | $1.2M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 94.2 | $5.7M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 89.2 | $41M |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 79.4 | $951K |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | 77.3 | $3.5M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | 75.9 | $1.3M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 87.5 | $4.0M |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 84.2 | $733K |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 45.3 | $114K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 56.4 | $2K |
| Coastal Flooding | 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 | 319 | 0 | $2.5M | 46th of 100 | 722nd of 3,080 |
| Hail | 146 | 0 | $1.3M | 47th of 100 | 1085th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 84 | 4 | $183M | 25th of 100 | 689th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 43 | 1 | $12K | 85th of 100 | 2041st of 3,077 |
| Tornadoes | 23 | 5 | $238M | 47th of 100 | 1617th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 18 | 0 | $3.3M | 67th of 100 | 1493rd of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 16 | 0 | $2.6M | 25th of 100 | 314th of 3,080 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 13 | 2 | $4.7M | 37th of 100 | 321st of 1,849 |
| Heavy rain | 8 | 0 | $2.1M | 30th of 100 | 743rd of 3,080 |
| Heat | 7 | 1 | – | 30th of 100 | 1427th of 3,076 |
| Extreme cold | 2 | 0 | – | 84th of 100 | 2536th of 3,076 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Cumberland County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.