Union County, North Carolina: hazard risk
FEMA rates Union County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 89.1 of 100, higher than 89% of rated U.S. counties); 4 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by ice storm, tornado, strong wind. Its storm record holds 630 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Storm | Very High | 96.2 | $2.7M |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 94.7 | $16M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | 88.8 | $2.7M |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 84.7 | $1.3M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 92.5 | $73M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | 75.0 | $3.8M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | 73.5 | $219K |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | 69.4 | $713K |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 85.0 | $4.0M |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 81.4 | $3.2M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 72.2 | $1.4M |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 68.1 | $726K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 41.6 | $41K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 38.8 | $848 |
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 | 256 | 0 | $2.3M | 41st of 100 | 646th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 130 | 0 | – | 40th of 100 | 944th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 81 | 3 | $662K | 21st of 100 | 604th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 53 | 0 | $19M | 70th of 100 | 1739th of 3,077 |
| Drought | 35 | 0 | – | 33rd of 100 | 845th of 3,063 |
| Tornadoes | 22 | 1 | $74M | 37th of 100 | 1309th of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 18 | 0 | $2.0M | 16th of 100 | 254th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 12 | 0 | $130K | 77th of 100 | 1857th of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 8 | 0 | – | 42nd of 100 | 904th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 7 | 0 | $712K | 43rd of 100 | 1682nd of 3,076 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 4 | 0 | $1.9M | 70th of 100 | 640th of 1,849 |
| Heat | 3 | 0 | – | 58th of 100 | 1903rd of 3,076 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Union County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.