Polk County, North Carolina: hazard risk
FEMA rates Polk County's overall risk Very Low (score 36.9 of 100, higher than 36% of rated U.S. counties); 2 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by landslide, ice storm. Its storm record holds 516 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landslide | Relatively High | 98.3 | $512K |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | 87.2 | $497K |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 67.3 | $308K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | 55.1 | $435K |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 60.9 | $157K |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 53.7 | $968K |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 47.0 | $82K |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | 46.7 | $4.1M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | 45.7 | $552K |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 36.3 | $107K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 51.7 | $207K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 43.5 | $22K |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 16.5 | $30K |
| Winter Weather | Very Low | 11.5 | $6K |
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 | 159 | 0 | $34M | 6th of 100 | 100th of 3,077 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 114 | 0 | $127K | 24th of 100 | 321st of 3,080 |
| Hail | 75 | 0 | $5K | 9th of 100 | 223rd of 3,080 |
| Drought | 56 | 0 | – | 1st of 100 | 83rd of 3,063 |
| Floods | 37 | 1 | $18M | 16th of 100 | 537th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 36 | 1 | $1.5M | 7th of 100 | 220th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 18 | 0 | $1.4M | 7th of 100 | 432nd of 3,076 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $351K | 19th of 100 | 275th of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 4 | 2 | $95K | 18th of 100 | 552nd of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 4 | 0 | $498K | 77th of 100 | 2152nd of 3,080 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 2 | 0 | $4.7M | 84th of 100 | 754th of 1,849 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 1 | 1 | $588K | 14th of 100 | 175th of 2,278 |
| Wildfires | 1 | 0 | – | 6th of 100 | 568th 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 Polk County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.