New Castle County, Delaware: hazard risk
FEMA rates New Castle County's overall risk Relatively High (score 95.3 of 100, higher than 95% of rated U.S. counties); 6 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by winter weather, riverine flooding, cold wave. Its storm record holds 1,569 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 | Very High | 99.5 | $2.5M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 97.6 | $150M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | 93.4 | $10M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | 89.0 | $913K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | 88.3 | $2.0M |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively High | 83.8 | $3.7M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 95.3 | $7.1M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 92.9 | $9.2M |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 88.4 | $6.5M |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 88.1 | $7.0M |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | 84.0 | $1.3M |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 81.3 | $847K |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 76.6 | $12K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 60.6 | $95K |
| Hail | Very Low | 24.2 | $97K |
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 | 444 | 2 | $2.6M | 1st of 3 | 140th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 278 | 4 | $48M | 1st of 3 | 29th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 213 | 6 | $8.1M | 1st of 3 | 119th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 164 | 1 | $18M | 1st of 3 | 36th of 3,080 |
| Heat | 95 | 4 | – | 1st of 3 | 67th of 3,076 |
| Hail | 73 | 0 | $10K | 1st of 3 | 1448th of 3,080 |
| Drought | 49 | 0 | $1.8M | 1st of 3 | 212th of 3,063 |
| Lightning | 49 | 0 | $2.9M | 1st of 3 | 31st of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 48 | 0 | – | 2nd of 3 | 80th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 31 | 2 | – | 1st of 3 | 271st of 3,076 |
| Tornadoes | 28 | 0 | $19M | 1st of 3 | 315th of 3,080 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 25 | 0 | – | 2nd of 3 | 34th of 2,080 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 13 | 0 | – | 1st of 3 | 256th of 1,849 |
| Wildfires | 4 | 0 | – | 2nd of 3 | 292nd 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 New Castle County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.