Kent County, Michigan: hazard risk
FEMA rates Kent County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 92.2 of 100, higher than 92% of rated U.S. counties); 6 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by strong wind, tornado, winter weather. Its storm record holds 654 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind | Very High | 99.0 | $9.9M |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 97.8 | $28M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 95.7 | $950K |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 94.8 | $89M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | 89.4 | $8.2M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | 83.6 | $675K |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 95.1 | $7.6M |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 73.4 | $803K |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 72.6 | $665K |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 83.4 | $30K |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 73.6 | $1.2M |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 42.6 | $37K |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 33.6 | $23K |
| Drought | 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 | 298 | 7 | $163M | 24th of 83 | 1175th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 142 | 0 | $23M | 9th of 83 | 1386th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 114 | 0 | $7.6M | 45th of 83 | 1111th of 3,077 |
| Tornadoes | 45 | 9 | $269M | 12th of 83 | 1032nd of 3,080 |
| Floods | 29 | 0 | $8.0M | 17th of 83 | 2040th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 19 | 0 | $34M | 46th of 83 | 1910th of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $1.6M | 37th of 83 | 1506th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 1 | 0 | $282K | 63rd of 83 | 2747th of 3,076 |
| Heat | 1 | 0 | – | 57th of 83 | 2302nd 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 Kent County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.