Washtenaw County, Michigan: hazard risk
FEMA rates Washtenaw County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 89.3 of 100, higher than 89% of rated U.S. counties); 5 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by strong wind, tornado, cold wave. Its storm record holds 988 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | 98.0 | $6.1M |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 96.9 | $21M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | 93.1 | $11M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | 90.4 | $1.2M |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 88.8 | $1.3M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 90.3 | $47M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 87.4 | $2.9M |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 85.8 | $1.5M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | 73.0 | $179K |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 74.3 | $1.3M |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 69.9 | $7K |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 48.3 | $73K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 43.8 | $38K |
| 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 | 494 | 4 | $12M | 3rd of 83 | 483rd of 3,080 |
| Hail | 261 | 0 | $985K | 3rd of 83 | 790th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 66 | 1 | $21M | 78th of 83 | 1635th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 44 | 0 | $55M | 6th of 83 | 671st of 3,080 |
| Floods | 38 | 0 | $10M | 5th of 83 | 1555th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 29 | 1 | $58M | 14th of 83 | 1124th of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 21 | 2 | $3.0M | 4th of 83 | 252nd of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 16 | 1 | $2.5M | 24th of 83 | 1034th of 3,076 |
| Heat | 15 | 0 | – | 10th of 83 | 964th of 3,076 |
| Drought | 2 | 0 | – | 14th of 83 | 2335th 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 Washtenaw County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.