Sanilac County, Michigan: hazard risk
FEMA rates Sanilac County's overall risk Relatively Low (score 70.3 of 100, higher than 70% of rated U.S. counties); 2 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by cold wave, winter weather. Its storm record holds 397 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 | 95.7 | $10M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 89.7 | $316K |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | 71.4 | $186K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | 71.2 | $795K |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | 66.2 | $8.9M |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 63.0 | $1.6M |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 62.3 | $325K |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 45.9 | $240K |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 30.9 | $89K |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 55.4 | $99K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 33.7 | $80K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 33.1 | $308 |
| Coastal Flooding | Very Low | 26.6 | $2K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 12.2 | $3K |
| 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 | 144 | 2 | $1.5M | 51st of 83 | 2282nd of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 89 | 0 | $5.0M | 79th of 83 | 1640th of 3,077 |
| Hail | 64 | 0 | $309K | 65th of 83 | 2498th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 31 | 0 | $15M | 24th of 83 | 1326th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 21 | 0 | $9.7M | 35th of 83 | 1944th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 16 | 1 | $1.7M | 34th of 83 | 1304th of 3,076 |
| Heat | 12 | 0 | – | 17th of 83 | 1294th of 3,076 |
| Floods | 11 | 0 | $5.1M | 56th of 83 | 2671st of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $228K | 29th of 83 | 1378th of 3,080 |
| Drought | 2 | 0 | – | 24th of 83 | 2390th of 3,063 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Sanilac County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.