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North Carolina heat wave risk

100 counties scored 0 rated Very High

Wake County has the highest heat wave risk in North Carolina, scoring 96.9 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded heat wave events across North Carolina have increased 971% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period.

# County NRI score Rating NOAA events
2016–2026
1 Wake County 96.9 Relatively High 5
2 Mecklenburg County 94.3 Relatively Moderate 0
3 Cumberland County 94.2 Relatively Moderate 5
4 Durham County 94 Relatively Moderate 5
5 Johnston County 89.9 Relatively Moderate 5
6 Robeson County 89 Relatively Moderate 0
7 Pitt County 88.1 Relatively Moderate 4
8 Wayne County 87.8 Relatively Moderate 5
9 Onslow County 87.5 Relatively Moderate 9
10 Guilford County 87 Relatively Moderate 0
11 Columbus County 86.2 Relatively Moderate 0
12 New Hanover County 85.6 Relatively Moderate 0
13 Brunswick County 84.9 Relatively Moderate 0
14 Craven County 84.2 Relatively Moderate 8
15 Orange County 84.1 Relatively Moderate 5
16 Nash County 83.9 Relatively Moderate 5
17 Harnett County 83.5 Relatively Moderate 5
18 Forsyth County 80.3 Relatively Moderate 0
19 Wilson County 80.1 Relatively Moderate 5
20 Sampson County 79.1 Relatively Moderate 5
21 Moore County 76.8 Relatively Low 3
22 Lenoir County 76.1 Relatively Low 3
23 Duplin County 75.3 Relatively Low 3
24 Halifax County 75 Relatively Low 5
25 Edgecombe County 74.4 Relatively Low 5
26 Alamance County 73.8 Relatively Low 3
27 Hoke County 73.1 Relatively Low 3
28 Chatham County 72.4 Relatively Low 5
29 Lee County 72.2 Relatively Low 5
30 Union County 72.2 Relatively Low 0
31 Scotland County 71.6 Relatively Low 3
32 Carteret County 71 Relatively Low 6
33 Beaufort County 70.8 Relatively Low 7
34 Granville County 70.5 Relatively Low 2
35 Gaston County 68.3 Relatively Low 0
36 Cabarrus County 68.2 Relatively Low 0
37 Franklin County 67.7 Relatively Low 5
38 Person County 66.4 Relatively Low 2
39 Vance County 65.9 Relatively Low 2
40 Bladen County 65.6 Relatively Low 0
41 Burke County 65.3 Relatively Low 0
42 Randolph County 65.2 Relatively Low 0
43 Richmond County 64.9 Relatively Low 3
44 Davidson County 64.5 Relatively Low 0
45 Chowan County 64 Relatively Low 3
46 Pender County 62.9 Relatively Low 0
47 Hertford County 62.4 Relatively Low 2
48 Pasquotank County 60.8 Relatively Low 1
49 Bertie County 60.3 Relatively Low 2
50 Stanly County 58.1 Relatively Low 0
51 Catawba County 57.3 Relatively Low 0
52 Greene County 56.7 Relatively Low 4
53 Martin County 56.7 Relatively Low 4
54 Rockingham County 55.2 Relatively Low 0
55 Cleveland County 54.6 Relatively Low 0
56 Washington County 53.9 Relatively Low 5
57 Perquimans County 53.2 Relatively Low 2
58 Warren County 51.4 Relatively Low 5
59 Dare County 51.2 Relatively Low 6
60 Rowan County 50.9 Relatively Low 0
61 Northampton County 48.9 Relatively Low 2
62 Anson County 48.1 Relatively Low 0
63 Montgomery County 46.5 Relatively Low 0
64 Iredell County 46.4 Relatively Low 0
65 Pamlico County 43.2 Relatively Low 5
66 Jones County 41.3 Relatively Low 5
67 Lincoln County 39.6 Relatively Low 0
68 Caldwell County 39.3 Relatively Low 0
69 Currituck County 38.8 Very Low 2
70 Rutherford County 38.2 Very Low 0
71 Caswell County 36.9 Very Low 0
72 Davie County 31.5 Very Low 0
73 Gates County 30.4 Very Low 2
74 Hyde County 30.2 Very Low 6
75 Alexander County 28.1 Very Low 0
76 Wilkes County 28 Very Low 0
77 Tyrrell County 27.9 Very Low 5
78 Stokes County 25.3 Very Low 0
79 Camden County 24 Very Low 2
80 Surry County 22.4 Very Low 0
81 McDowell County 21.8 Very Low 0
82 Yadkin County 19.7 Very Low 0
83 Polk County 16.5 Very Low 0
84 Cherokee County 6.5 Very Low 0
85 Clay County 4.6 Very Low 0
86 Henderson County 2.5 Very Low 0
87 Transylvania County 2.5 Very Low 0
88 Buncombe County 2.2 Very Low 0
89 Jackson County 1.9 Very Low 0
90 Alleghany County 0 No Rating 0
91 Ashe County 0 No Rating 0
92 Avery County 0 No Rating 0
93 Graham County 0 No Rating 0
94 Haywood County 0 No Rating 0
95 Macon County 0 No Rating 0
96 Madison County 0 No Rating 0
97 Mitchell County 0 No Rating 0
98 Swain County 0 No Rating 0
99 Watauga County 0 No Rating 0
100 Yancey County 0 No Rating 0

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.

Heat Wave risk nationally:

Top 50 US counties

Other hazard risks in North Carolina:

WildfireInland FloodingCoastal FloodingEarthquakeTornadoHurricaneHailStrong WindWinter WeatherIce StormCold WaveLightningDroughtLandslideAvalancheTsunamiVolcanic Activity

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest heat wave risk county in North Carolina?

Wake County, NC has the highest heat wave risk in North Carolina, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 96.9 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").

What causes heat wave risk in North Carolina?

Heat is consistently the leading cause of weather-related mortality in the US, yet it remains underrepresented in federal disaster declarations relative to its actual impact. High scores reflect a combination of extreme temperature exposure, population vulnerability (elderly, outdoor workers), and limited access to cooling infrastructure.