North Carolina hail risk
100 counties scored 0 rated Very High
Wake County has the highest hail risk in North Carolina, scoring 98.5 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. NOAA has recorded 1,466 hail events across North Carolina over the past decade.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wake County | 98.5 | Relatively High | 125 |
| 2 | Mecklenburg County | 94.6 | Relatively High | 34 |
| 3 | Guilford County | 92.2 | Relatively Moderate | 41 |
| 4 | Durham County | 89.1 | Relatively Moderate | 15 |
| 5 | Wayne County | 87.8 | Relatively Moderate | 16 |
| 6 | Henderson County | 87.1 | Relatively Moderate | 24 |
| 7 | Johnston County | 87 | Relatively Moderate | 13 |
| 8 | Forsyth County | 85.9 | Relatively Moderate | 18 |
| 9 | Sampson County | 85.2 | Relatively Moderate | 7 |
| 10 | Robeson County | 79.9 | Relatively Moderate | 22 |
| 11 | Cumberland County | 79.4 | Relatively Moderate | 16 |
| 12 | Nash County | 79.1 | Relatively Moderate | 25 |
| 13 | Duplin County | 78.7 | Relatively Moderate | 13 |
| 14 | Alamance County | 77.6 | Relatively Moderate | 12 |
| 15 | Pitt County | 77.5 | Relatively Moderate | 30 |
| 16 | Wilson County | 77.4 | Relatively Moderate | 16 |
| 17 | Davidson County | 76.7 | Relatively Moderate | 24 |
| 18 | Orange County | 76.5 | Relatively Moderate | 7 |
| 19 | Buncombe County | 75.2 | Relatively Moderate | 28 |
| 20 | Randolph County | 74.6 | Relatively Moderate | 20 |
| 21 | Lenoir County | 72.2 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 22 | Franklin County | 70.8 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 23 | Catawba County | 70 | Relatively Low | 29 |
| 24 | Harnett County | 69.6 | Relatively Low | 18 |
| 25 | Cleveland County | 68.4 | Relatively Low | 28 |
| 26 | Gaston County | 68.4 | Relatively Low | 21 |
| 27 | Union County | 68.1 | Relatively Low | 15 |
| 28 | Chatham County | 67.1 | Relatively Low | 13 |
| 29 | Halifax County | 65.3 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 30 | Rutherford County | 64.8 | Relatively Low | 19 |
| 31 | Granville County | 64.4 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 32 | Moore County | 63.7 | Relatively Low | 16 |
| 33 | Edgecombe County | 63.6 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 34 | Scotland County | 62.4 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 35 | Rockingham County | 61.9 | Relatively Low | 34 |
| 36 | Burke County | 61.5 | Relatively Low | 54 |
| 37 | Lee County | 60.4 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 38 | Greene County | 59.6 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 39 | Surry County | 58.7 | Relatively Low | 28 |
| 40 | Vance County | 57.3 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 41 | Cabarrus County | 57 | Relatively Low | 23 |
| 42 | Warren County | 56.3 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 43 | Lincoln County | 55.6 | Relatively Low | 14 |
| 44 | Bladen County | 54.9 | Relatively Low | 18 |
| 45 | Person County | 54.1 | Relatively Low | 13 |
| 46 | Iredell County | 53.7 | Relatively Low | 22 |
| 47 | Jackson County | 53.6 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 48 | Wilkes County | 53.5 | Relatively Low | 29 |
| 49 | Haywood County | 52.8 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 50 | Richmond County | 52 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 51 | McDowell County | 51.8 | Relatively Low | 35 |
| 52 | Transylvania County | 50.3 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 53 | Craven County | 50 | Relatively Low | 19 |
| 54 | Bertie County | 49.8 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 55 | Yadkin County | 48 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 56 | Rowan County | 47.8 | Relatively Low | 15 |
| 57 | Hertford County | 47.4 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 58 | Macon County | 47.1 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 59 | Caldwell County | 46.8 | Relatively Low | 30 |
| 60 | Martin County | 45.6 | Relatively Low | 17 |
| 61 | Jones County | 45.5 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 62 | Northampton County | 45.4 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 63 | Columbus County | 44.7 | Relatively Low | 14 |
| 64 | Cherokee County | 44.6 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 65 | Onslow County | 44.4 | Relatively Low | 19 |
| 66 | Alexander County | 42.2 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 67 | Stanly County | 42.1 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 68 | Beaufort County | 40 | Relatively Low | 19 |
| 69 | Caswell County | 39.5 | Relatively Low | 22 |
| 70 | Davie County | 37.3 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 71 | Montgomery County | 37.3 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 72 | Hoke County | 36.9 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 73 | Watauga County | 36.7 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 74 | Anson County | 36.3 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 75 | Polk County | 36.3 | Relatively Low | 13 |
| 76 | Stokes County | 33.9 | Relatively Low | 19 |
| 77 | Ashe County | 32.5 | Very Low | 10 |
| 78 | Pasquotank County | 31.9 | Very Low | 3 |
| 79 | Pender County | 29.5 | Very Low | 16 |
| 80 | Avery County | 27.6 | Very Low | 6 |
| 81 | Madison County | 26.7 | Very Low | 7 |
| 82 | Yancey County | 25.8 | Very Low | 3 |
| 83 | Swain County | 25.2 | Very Low | 1 |
| 84 | Brunswick County | 24.5 | Very Low | 20 |
| 85 | Clay County | 23.6 | Very Low | 3 |
| 86 | Carteret County | 23.5 | Very Low | 12 |
| 87 | Gates County | 22.2 | Very Low | 5 |
| 88 | New Hanover County | 21.1 | Very Low | 12 |
| 89 | Perquimans County | 18.7 | Very Low | 1 |
| 90 | Alleghany County | 17.8 | Very Low | 11 |
| 91 | Washington County | 17.6 | Very Low | 7 |
| 92 | Chowan County | 17.3 | Very Low | 9 |
| 93 | Hyde County | 17.2 | Very Low | 3 |
| 94 | Tyrrell County | 16 | Very Low | 3 |
| 95 | Dare County | 13.8 | Very Low | 2 |
| 96 | Mitchell County | 13.6 | Very Low | 2 |
| 97 | Pamlico County | 11.5 | Very Low | 2 |
| 98 | Graham County | 11.1 | Very Low | 2 |
| 99 | Currituck County | 10.7 | Very Low | 5 |
| 100 | Camden County | 8.1 | Very Low | 2 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Hail risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in North Carolina:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest hail risk county in North Carolina?
Wake County, NC has the highest hail risk in North Carolina, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 98.5 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").
What causes hail risk in North Carolina?
Hail risk reflects expected annual losses from damaging hailstones to structures, vehicles, and crops. High scores cluster in the central plains and Front Range — a corridor sometimes called "Hail Alley" — where large-diameter hail is most frequent. Hail causes over $10 billion in US property damage in active years, much of it to roofs, vehicles, and crops.