Wake County, North Carolina: hazard risk
FEMA rates Wake County's overall risk Relatively High (score 95.5 of 100, higher than 95% of rated U.S. counties); 6 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by hail, riverine flooding, heat wave. Its storm record holds 1,645 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | Relatively High | 98.5 | $13M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 97.7 | $222M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively High | 96.9 | $15M |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 95.3 | $20M |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 91.7 | $2.1M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | 90.2 | $1.5M |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 89.9 | $12M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | 84.6 | $425K |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | 82.3 | $6.7M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 87.8 | $5.9M |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 71.1 | $11K |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 51.1 | $248K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | 49.3 | $861K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 57.4 | $115K |
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 | 737 | 2 | $6.5M | 19th of 100 | 264th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 393 | 0 | $127M | 14th of 100 | 394th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 291 | 1 | $116M | 8th of 100 | 267th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 69 | 2 | $1.3M | 73rd of 100 | 1757th of 3,077 |
| Lightning | 41 | 4 | $3.7M | 7th of 100 | 137th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 40 | 7 | $789M | 23rd of 100 | 992nd of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 25 | 0 | – | 32nd of 100 | 759th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 24 | 2 | $3.2M | 71st of 100 | 1577th of 3,080 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 13 | 3 | $4.2M | 44th of 100 | 374th of 1,849 |
| Heat | 7 | 0 | – | 43rd of 100 | 1591st of 3,076 |
| Extreme cold | 2 | 0 | – | 94th of 100 | 2617th of 3,076 |
| Wildfires | 1 | 0 | $1.4M | 20th of 100 | 1081st 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 Wake County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.