Houghton County, Michigan: hazard risk
FEMA rates Houghton County's overall risk Very Low (score 24.3 of 100, higher than 24% of rated U.S. counties); 1 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by winter weather. Its storm record holds 1,005 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 | 85.3 | $346K |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | 68.5 | $2.4M |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 43.7 | $226K |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | 43.0 | $6.5M |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 40.2 | $219K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | 18.4 | $194K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 22.7 | $11K |
| Drought | Very Low | 20.3 | $5K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 17.0 | $96 |
| Coastal Flooding | Very Low | 14.0 | $0 |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 10.7 | $25K |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | 6.9 | $4K |
| Tornado | Very Low | 6.2 | $34K |
| Earthquake | No Rating | 0.0 | $0 |
| Hurricane | 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 593 | 3 | $285K | 2nd of 83 | 124th of 3,077 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 123 | 0 | $482K | 69th of 83 | 2497th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 78 | 0 | $14K | 64th of 83 | 2491st of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 70 | 0 | $2.0M | 9th of 83 | 783rd of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 66 | 0 | – | 6th of 83 | 567th of 3,076 |
| Floods | 29 | 1 | $146M | 24th of 83 | 2193rd of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 18 | 0 | $2K | 1st of 83 | 550th of 3,080 |
| Heat | 11 | 0 | – | 22nd of 83 | 1798th of 3,076 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 2 | 1 | – | 13th of 83 | 182nd of 2,080 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $33K | 48th of 83 | 1915th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 1 | 0 | $6K | 83rd of 83 | 2912th of 3,080 |
| Wildfires | 1 | 0 | $202K | 14th of 83 | 1153rd of 2,972 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Houghton County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.