Leelanau County, Michigan: hazard risk
FEMA rates Leelanau County's overall risk Relatively Low (score 48.3 of 100, higher than 48% of rated U.S. counties); 2 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by cold wave, winter weather. Its storm record holds 273 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | 92.9 | $9.0M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 90.5 | $419K |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 79.4 | $15K |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | 42.1 | $5.3M |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 39.5 | $176K |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 31.2 | $114K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | 25.5 | $243K |
| Coastal Flooding | Very Low | 37.0 | $10K |
| Tornado | Very Low | 19.1 | $222K |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 17.5 | $48K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 14.9 | $5K |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 11.8 | $3K |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | 5.1 | $2K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 3.6 | $4K |
| 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 146 | 0 | $18M | 4th of 83 | 168th of 3,077 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 52 | 0 | $30M | 52nd of 83 | 2300th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 37 | 0 | $3.9M | 36th of 83 | 2146th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 16 | 0 | $98K | 17th of 83 | 954th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 8 | 0 | $302K | 34th of 83 | 2344th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 4 | 1 | $48M | 44th of 83 | 1655th of 3,076 |
| Tornadoes | 3 | 0 | $1.3M | 66th of 83 | 2475th of 3,080 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 2 | 1 | $6K | 3rd of 83 | 131st of 2,080 |
| Heat | 2 | 0 | – | 23rd of 83 | 1807th of 3,076 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $57K | 19th of 83 | 1120th of 3,080 |
| Drought | 1 | 0 | – | 13th of 83 | 2334th of 3,063 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Leelanau County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.