Newport News (city), Virginia: hazard risk
FEMA rates Newport News (city)'s overall risk Relatively Low (score 72.2 of 100, higher than 72% 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 351 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 | 85.5 | $296K |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 88.3 | $5.9M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 83.7 | $1.9M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | 80.8 | $446K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | 78.9 | $1.3M |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 76.4 | $642K |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 74.1 | $3.0M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 76.3 | $1.3M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | 71.4 | $14M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | 64.6 | $1.7M |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 60.6 | $397K |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Low | 60.2 | $527K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 34.6 | $19K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 20.1 | $122 |
| 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 | 111 | 1 | $334K | ||
| Winter storms | 63 | 0 | $23K | ||
| Floods | 59 | 0 | $21M | ||
| Heavy rain | 49 | 0 | – | ||
| Hail | 26 | 0 | $1.8M | ||
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 13 | 1 | $310M | ||
| High wind and dust storms | 12 | 0 | $3.0M | ||
| Tornadoes | 7 | 0 | $13M | ||
| Heat | 5 | 0 | – | ||
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $288K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Newport News (city) record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.