Yancey County, North Carolina: hazard risk
FEMA rates Yancey County's overall risk Very Low (score 42.2 of 100, higher than 42% of rated U.S. counties); 1 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by lightning. Its storm record holds 599 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively High | 82.6 | $548K |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | 96.7 | $164K |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | 73.5 | $177K |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | 71.6 | $1.5M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | 55.4 | $5.2M |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 51.0 | $103K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | 41.8 | $287K |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 35.1 | $449K |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | 32.8 | $23K |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 54.9 | $81K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 52.0 | $202K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 51.8 | $35K |
| Hail | Very Low | 25.8 | $64K |
| Heat Wave | 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 379 | 0 | $40K | 3rd of 100 | 12th of 3,077 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 41 | 0 | $116K | 97th of 100 | 2092nd of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 40 | 0 | $840K | 9th of 100 | 235th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 36 | 0 | $44K | 84th of 100 | 1820th of 3,080 |
| Drought | 35 | 0 | – | 8th of 100 | 231st of 3,063 |
| Floods | 30 | 13 | $92M | 35th of 100 | 880th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 29 | 0 | $1.4M | 3rd of 100 | 183rd of 3,076 |
| Tornadoes | 3 | 0 | $1.2M | 87th of 100 | 2442nd of 3,080 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 2 | 0 | $6.6M | 69th of 100 | 636th of 1,849 |
| Lightning | 2 | 1 | – | 67th of 100 | 1038th of 3,080 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 1 | 0 | $2.3M | 15th of 100 | 205th of 2,278 |
| Wildfires | 1 | 0 | – | 11th of 100 | 683rd 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 Yancey County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.