Forsyth County, North Carolina: hazard risk
FEMA rates Forsyth County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 91.5 of 100, higher than 91% of rated U.S. counties); 7 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by ice storm, riverine flooding, winter weather. Its storm record holds 715 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 | Very High | 97.8 | $2.7M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 94.7 | $72M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 91.6 | $454K |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 90.9 | $7.7M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | 90.3 | $7.4M |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 86.8 | $1.0M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | 85.9 | $1.6M |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 86.5 | $4.5M |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 85.9 | $1.3M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 80.3 | $1.5M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 88.1 | $3.9M |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 71.3 | $7K |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 53.6 | $187K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 35.8 | $20K |
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 | 404 | 1 | $2.0M | 6th of 100 | 116th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 109 | 0 | – | 19th of 100 | 499th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 88 | 3 | $819K | 29th of 100 | 631st of 3,077 |
| Floods | 62 | 0 | $798K | 22nd of 100 | 618th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 18 | 1 | $1.5M | 44th of 100 | 1039th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 16 | 0 | $175M | 42nd of 100 | 1447th of 3,080 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 8 | 0 | $3.3M | 39th of 100 | 327th of 1,849 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $338K | 54th of 100 | 733rd of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 2 | 0 | – | 63rd of 100 | 2296th of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 2 | 0 | – | 77th of 100 | 1353rd of 3,080 |
| Heat | 1 | 0 | – | 70th of 100 | 2139th of 3,076 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 1 | 0 | – | 18th of 100 | 240th of 2,278 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Forsyth County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.