Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska: hazard risk
FEMA rates Northwest Arctic Borough's overall risk Relatively Low (score 54.6 of 100, higher than 54% of rated U.S. counties); 1 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by cold wave. Its storm record holds 480 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 | 97.3 | $9.1M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | 78.6 | $107K |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 86.1 | $19K |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 65.7 | $343K |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 65.7 | $69K |
| Avalanche | Very Low | 62.6 | $1K |
| Volcanic Activity | Very Low | 29.3 | $1 |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | 6.6 | $2K |
| Lightning | Very Low | 5.1 | $9K |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | 3.4 | $302K |
| Tornado | Very Low | 0.5 | $0 |
| Coastal Flooding | No Rating | 0.0 | $0 |
| Drought | No Rating | 0.0 | $0 |
| Hail | No Rating | 0.0 | $0 |
| Strong Wind | 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 | 339 | 2 | $58K | 23rd of 29 | 2957th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 73 | 0 | $2K | 23rd of 29 | 2906th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 29 | 0 | – | 14th of 29 | 2833rd of 3,076 |
| Floods | 26 | 0 | $2.1M | 16th of 29 | 3063rd of 3,080 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 9 | 0 | $217K | 7th of 29 | 264th of 2,080 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 4 | 0 | $1.3M | 10th of 29 | 1097th 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 Northwest Arctic Borough record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.