Winter Weather Risk in North Carolina
All North Carolina counties ranked by FEMA National Risk Index winter weather score
Winter Weather risk — heavy snow, blizzards, and hazardous winter conditions — is rated for 100 of 100 North Carolina counties in FEMA's National Risk Index. Wayne County carries the state's highest winter weather score at 98.5, with $1M in expected annual winter weather losses.
28 North Carolina counties are rated High or Very High for winter weather, and expected annual losses from winter weather total roughly $25M statewide. The full ranking below links to each county's complete 18-hazard risk profile.
County Rankings — Winter Weather
| # | County | Winter Weather Score | Rating | Ann. Freq. | Ann. Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wayne County | Very High | 5.00 / yr | $1M | |
| 2 | Onslow County | Very High | 2.55 / yr | $2M | |
| 3 | Pitt County | Very High | 3.26 / yr | $1M | |
| 4 | Johnston County | Very High | 5.58 / yr | $1M | |
| 5 | Craven County | Very High | 3.15 / yr | $987K | |
| 6 | Cumberland County | Very High | 4.47 / yr | $1M | |
| 7 | Nash County | Very High | 5.95 / yr | $830K | |
| 8 | New Hanover County | High | 1.49 / yr | $999K | |
| 9 | Guilford County | High | 8.00 / yr | $795K | |
| 10 | Edgecombe County | High | 5.58 / yr | $554K | |
| 11 | Wilson County | High | 5.26 / yr | $678K | |
| 12 | Lenoir County | High | 3.42 / yr | $500K | |
| 13 | Sampson County | High | 4.26 / yr | $430K | |
| 14 | Halifax County | High | 6.21 / yr | $405K | |
| 15 | Carteret County | High | 2.16 / yr | $585K | |
| 16 | Beaufort County | High | 3.42 / yr | $469K | |
| 17 | Duplin County | High | 3.26 / yr | $406K | |
| 18 | Robeson County | High | 2.58 / yr | $328K | |
| 19 | Brunswick County | High | 1.57 / yr | $395K | |
| 20 | Forsyth County | High | 7.79 / yr | $454K | |
| 21 | Dare County | High | 2.64 / yr | $365K | |
| 22 | Franklin County | High | 6.37 / yr | $358K | |
| 23 | Alamance County | High | 7.89 / yr | $401K | |
| 24 | Pender County | High | 2.23 / yr | $359K | |
| 25 | Randolph County | High | 7.79 / yr | $275K | |
| 26 | Orange County | High | 7.42 / yr | $373K | |
| 27 | Pasquotank County | High | 2.79 / yr | $254K | |
| 28 | Mecklenburg County | High | 5.26 / yr | $345K | |
| 29 | Wake County | Medium | 6.37 / yr | $425K | |
| 30 | Greene County | Medium | 3.32 / yr | $164K | |
| 31 | Columbus County | Medium | 1.84 / yr | $167K | |
| 32 | Harnett County | Medium | 5.05 / yr | $268K | |
| 33 | Durham County | Medium | 7.16 / yr | $270K | |
| 34 | Vance County | Medium | 7.11 / yr | $168K | |
| 35 | Hertford County | Medium | 3.58 / yr | $150K | |
| 36 | Davidson County | Medium | 7.47 / yr | $208K | |
| 37 | Martin County | Medium | 3.32 / yr | $179K | |
| 38 | Warren County | Medium | 6.89 / yr | $120K | |
| 39 | Bertie County | Medium | 3.05 / yr | $123K | |
| 40 | Granville County | Medium | 7.21 / yr | $174K | |
| 41 | Bladen County | Medium | 2.37 / yr | $132K | |
| 42 | Buncombe County | Medium | 14.97 / yr | $187K | |
| 43 | Northampton County | Medium | 4.26 / yr | $96K | |
| 44 | Pamlico County | Medium | 2.63 / yr | $116K | |
| 45 | Washington County | Medium | 3.21 / yr | $101K | |
| 46 | Union County | Medium | 4.68 / yr | $219K | |
| 47 | Cabarrus County | Medium | 5.26 / yr | $198K | |
| 48 | Jones County | Medium | 2.84 / yr | $85K | |
| 49 | Rockingham County | Medium | 6.79 / yr | $116K | |
| 50 | Rowan County | Medium | 6.89 / yr | $124K | |
| 51 | Hoke County | Medium | 4.32 / yr | $98K | |
| 52 | Person County | Medium | 7.74 / yr | $91K | |
| 53 | Scotland County | Medium | 4.21 / yr | $70K | |
| 54 | Currituck County | Medium | 2.61 / yr | $182K | |
| 55 | Chowan County | Medium | 2.79 / yr | $90K | |
| 56 | Perquimans County | Medium | 2.79 / yr | $80K | |
| 57 | Moore County | Medium | 4.89 / yr | $99K | |
| 58 | Haywood County | Medium | 22.65 / yr | $83K | |
| 59 | Richmond County | Medium | 4.16 / yr | $69K | |
| 60 | Catawba County | Medium | 6.96 / yr | $98K | |
| 61 | Iredell County | Low | 6.89 / yr | $110K | |
| 62 | Surry County | Low | 7.95 / yr | $73K | |
| 63 | Gaston County | Low | 5.37 / yr | $93K | |
| 64 | Hyde County | Low | 3.02 / yr | $48K | |
| 65 | Watauga County | Low | 20.79 / yr | $67K | |
| 66 | Chatham County | Low | 6.58 / yr | $72K | |
| 67 | Gates County | Low | 3.48 / yr | $69K | |
| 68 | Lee County | Low | 5.16 / yr | $51K | |
| 69 | Ashe County | Low | 20.84 / yr | $40K | |
| 70 | Wilkes County | Low | 7.69 / yr | $38K | |
| 71 | Stanly County | Low | 4.89 / yr | $57K | |
| 72 | Caswell County | Low | 6.79 / yr | $41K | |
| 73 | Stokes County | Low | 6.79 / yr | $45K | |
| 74 | Tyrrell County | Low | 2.79 / yr | $31K | |
| 75 | Jackson County | Low | 13.51 / yr | $33K | |
| 76 | Henderson County | Low | 9.02 / yr | $37K | |
| 77 | Lincoln County | Low | 6.01 / yr | $44K | |
| 78 | Cleveland County | Low | 5.83 / yr | $41K | |
| 79 | Camden County | Low | 2.79 / yr | $63K | |
| 80 | Swain County | Low | 22.35 / yr | $25K | |
| 81 | Burke County | Low | 8.16 / yr | $31K | |
| 82 | Caldwell County | Low | 8.73 / yr | $37K | |
| 83 | Yadkin County | Low | 6.58 / yr | $31K | |
| 84 | Macon County | Low | 12.15 / yr | $27K | |
| 85 | Davie County | Low | 7.05 / yr | $36K | |
| 86 | Montgomery County | Low | 4.84 / yr | $26K | |
| 87 | Yancey County | Low | 25.26 / yr | $23K | |
| 88 | Avery County | Low | 25.81 / yr | $24K | |
| 89 | Anson County | Low | 4.11 / yr | $20K | |
| 90 | Cherokee County | Low | 6.79 / yr | $22K | |
| 91 | Rutherford County | Low | 6.08 / yr | $20K | |
| 92 | Alexander County | Low | 6.89 / yr | $19K | |
| 93 | Madison County | Low | 22.91 / yr | $24K | |
| 94 | Mitchell County | Very Low | 25.45 / yr | $18K | |
| 95 | McDowell County | Very Low | 9.88 / yr | $17K | |
| 96 | Graham County | Very Low | 20.59 / yr | $13K | |
| 97 | Alleghany County | Very Low | 12.47 / yr | $10K | |
| 98 | Transylvania County | Very Low | 10.12 / yr | $13K | |
| 99 | Polk County | Very Low | 6.09 / yr | $6K | |
| 100 | Clay County | Very Low | 6.68 / yr | $3K |
100 North Carolina counties with measurable winter weather risk. See the national winter weather ranking or all North Carolina counties by overall risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which North Carolina county has the highest winter weather risk?
Wayne County has the highest FEMA winter weather risk score in North Carolina at 98.5 (Very High), with $1M in expected annual losses and about 5.00 events per year.
How many North Carolina counties face significant winter weather risk?
100 North Carolina counties record measurable winter weather risk in FEMA's National Risk Index; 28 of them are rated High or Very High.