Mecklenburg County, North Carolina: hazard risk
FEMA rates Mecklenburg County's overall risk Relatively High (score 97.1 of 100, higher than 97% of rated U.S. counties); 7 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by riverine flooding, tornado, lightning. Its storm record holds 1,047 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 99.0 | $256M |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 97.4 | $24M |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 94.9 | $2.2M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | 94.9 | $2.0M |
| Hail | Relatively High | 94.6 | $3.3M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | 91.7 | $2.7M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 85.4 | $345K |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 94.3 | $6.3M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 93.2 | $11M |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 84.2 | $4.0M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | 82.2 | $5.1M |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 71.7 | $8K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 62.2 | $119K |
| Drought | Very Low | 28.6 | $25K |
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 | 429 | 1 | $3.8M | 2nd of 100 | 62nd of 3,080 |
| Hail | 246 | 0 | $1.9M | 3rd of 100 | 69th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 126 | 6 | $63M | 5th of 100 | 213th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 71 | 0 | $70M | 47th of 100 | 1117th of 3,077 |
| Lightning | 46 | 3 | $5.9M | 2nd of 100 | 40th of 3,080 |
| Drought | 35 | 0 | – | 27th of 100 | 658th of 3,063 |
| Tornadoes | 28 | 0 | $14M | 11th of 100 | 551st of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 24 | 5 | $1.3M | 40th of 100 | 958th of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 21 | 0 | $1.5M | 11th of 100 | 220th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 12 | 2 | $1.4M | 29th of 100 | 1025th of 3,076 |
| Heat | 4 | 2 | – | 47th of 100 | 1652nd of 3,076 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 4 | 2 | $2.9M | 67th of 100 | 576th of 1,849 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Mecklenburg County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.