North Carolina ice storm risk
Forsyth County has the highest ice storm risk in North Carolina, scoring 97.8 out of 100 — rated "Very High" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forsyth County | 97.8 | Very High |
| 2 | Gaston County | 97.6 | Very High |
| 3 | Guilford County | 96.7 | Very High |
| 4 | Cabarrus County | 96.3 | Very High |
| 5 | Union County | 96.2 | Very High |
| 6 | Catawba County | 96.1 | Very High |
| 7 | Henderson County | 95.6 | Very High |
| 8 | Davidson County | 95.4 | Very High |
| 9 | Mecklenburg County | 94.9 | Relatively High |
| 10 | Rowan County | 94.9 | Relatively High |
| 11 | Buncombe County | 94.2 | Relatively High |
| 12 | Cleveland County | 93.6 | Relatively High |
| 13 | Iredell County | 93.6 | Relatively High |
| 14 | Wilkes County | 93.1 | Relatively High |
| 15 | Lincoln County | 92.3 | Relatively High |
| 16 | Cumberland County | 91.3 | Relatively High |
| 17 | Rutherford County | 91 | Relatively High |
| 18 | Burke County | 90.8 | Relatively High |
| 19 | New Hanover County | 90.7 | Relatively High |
| 20 | Wake County | 90.2 | Relatively High |
| 21 | Randolph County | 89.5 | Relatively High |
| 22 | Robeson County | 88.9 | Relatively High |
| 23 | Moore County | 88.2 | Relatively High |
| 24 | Caldwell County | 88 | Relatively High |
| 25 | Alexander County | 87.6 | Relatively High |
| 26 | Polk County | 87.2 | Relatively High |
| 27 | McDowell County | 87 | Relatively High |
| 28 | Stanly County | 86.1 | Relatively High |
| 29 | Davie County | 85.7 | Relatively High |
| 30 | Transylvania County | 85 | Relatively High |
| 31 | Alamance County | 84 | Relatively High |
| 32 | Brunswick County | 83.9 | Relatively High |
| 33 | Surry County | 83.3 | Relatively High |
| 34 | Johnston County | 82.5 | Relatively High |
| 35 | Durham County | 82.4 | Relatively High |
| 36 | Rockingham County | 82.1 | Relatively Moderate |
| 37 | Watauga County | 82.1 | Relatively Moderate |
| 38 | Wayne County | 81.4 | Relatively Moderate |
| 39 | Lee County | 81.3 | Relatively Moderate |
| 40 | Columbus County | 80.9 | Relatively Moderate |
| 41 | Alleghany County | 80.5 | Relatively Moderate |
| 42 | Harnett County | 79.8 | Relatively Moderate |
| 43 | Sampson County | 79.4 | Relatively Moderate |
| 44 | Yadkin County | 78.8 | Relatively Moderate |
| 45 | Montgomery County | 77.5 | Relatively Moderate |
| 46 | Richmond County | 77.2 | Relatively Moderate |
| 47 | Stokes County | 77.2 | Relatively Moderate |
| 48 | Pitt County | 77 | Relatively Moderate |
| 49 | Haywood County | 76.7 | Relatively Moderate |
| 50 | Onslow County | 76.4 | Relatively Moderate |
| 51 | Anson County | 75.5 | Relatively Moderate |
| 52 | Carteret County | 74.3 | Relatively Moderate |
| 53 | Chatham County | 74.1 | Relatively Moderate |
| 54 | Pender County | 73.9 | Relatively Moderate |
| 55 | Orange County | 73.5 | Relatively Moderate |
| 56 | Yancey County | 73.5 | Relatively Moderate |
| 57 | Macon County | 73.3 | Relatively Moderate |
| 58 | Jackson County | 73.2 | Relatively Moderate |
| 59 | Avery County | 72.3 | Relatively Moderate |
| 60 | Craven County | 71.9 | Relatively Moderate |
| 61 | Swain County | 71.8 | Relatively Moderate |
| 62 | Bladen County | 71.5 | Relatively Moderate |
| 63 | Scotland County | 71.5 | Relatively Moderate |
| 64 | Duplin County | 71 | Relatively Moderate |
| 65 | Ashe County | 69 | Relatively Moderate |
| 66 | Mitchell County | 68.3 | Relatively Moderate |
| 67 | Hoke County | 66.5 | Relatively Moderate |
| 68 | Lenoir County | 65.9 | Relatively Moderate |
| 69 | Cherokee County | 65.6 | Relatively Moderate |
| 70 | Wilson County | 65.3 | Relatively Moderate |
| 71 | Madison County | 62.9 | Relatively Moderate |
| 72 | Nash County | 60.7 | Relatively Moderate |
| 73 | Halifax County | 59.5 | Relatively Low |
| 74 | Beaufort County | 55.4 | Relatively Low |
| 75 | Clay County | 52.5 | Relatively Low |
| 76 | Vance County | 52.4 | Relatively Low |
| 77 | Granville County | 51.6 | Relatively Low |
| 78 | Warren County | 46 | Relatively Low |
| 79 | Franklin County | 43.3 | Relatively Low |
| 80 | Edgecombe County | 42.4 | Relatively Low |
| 81 | Person County | 41.9 | Relatively Low |
| 82 | Caswell County | 41.1 | Relatively Low |
| 83 | Greene County | 41 | Relatively Low |
| 84 | Pasquotank County | 41 | Relatively Low |
| 85 | Northampton County | 40.3 | Relatively Low |
| 86 | Hertford County | 39.7 | Relatively Low |
| 87 | Pamlico County | 39 | Relatively Low |
| 88 | Martin County | 37.7 | Relatively Low |
| 89 | Bertie County | 34.5 | Relatively Low |
| 90 | Jones County | 28.5 | Relatively Low |
| 91 | Washington County | 26.4 | Very Low |
| 92 | Currituck County | 25.5 | Very Low |
| 93 | Dare County | 24.5 | Very Low |
| 94 | Chowan County | 23.3 | Very Low |
| 95 | Perquimans County | 20.5 | Very Low |
| 96 | Graham County | 19.2 | Very Low |
| 97 | Gates County | 19 | Very Low |
| 98 | Tyrrell County | 15.7 | Very Low |
| 99 | Camden County | 13.3 | Very Low |
| 100 | Hyde County | 12.6 | Very Low |
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.
Ice Storm risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in North Carolina:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest ice storm risk county in North Carolina?
Forsyth County, NC has the highest ice storm risk in North Carolina, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 97.8 out of 100 (rated "Very High").
How many counties in North Carolina are rated Very High for ice storm risk?
8 of 100 scored North Carolina counties are rated "Very High" for ice storm risk by FEMA's National Risk Index.
What causes ice storm risk in North Carolina?
Ice storm risk covers damaging freezing rain and sleet accumulation, which collapses power lines, trees, and structures. The highest-risk counties cluster in a band from eastern Texas and Arkansas through the Carolinas and New England, where warm Gulf moisture overruns cold arctic air most frequently. Ice storms cause catastrophic and long-lasting power outages. Ice storm and sleet events are reported at forecast-zone level in NOAA Storm Events and are not included in county-level counts.