Alaska lightning risk

30 counties scored 0 rated Very High

Fairbanks North Star Borough has the highest lightning risk in Alaska, scoring 60 out of 100 — rated "Relatively Moderate" by FEMA's National Risk Index.

#	County	NRI score	Rating
1	Fairbanks North Star Borough	60	Relatively Moderate
2	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	54.8	Relatively Low
3	Anchorage Municipality	38.6	Relatively Low
4	Bethel Census Area	27.5	Relatively Low
5	Kenai Peninsula Borough	14.9	Very Low
6	Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area	13.6	Very Low
7	Southeast Fairbanks Census Area	12	Very Low
8	Kusilvak Census Area	5.5	Very Low
9	Juneau City and Borough	5.3	Very Low
10	Northwest Arctic Borough	5.1	Very Low
11	Sitka City and Borough	4.5	Very Low
12	Ketchikan Gateway Borough	4.4	Very Low
13	Copper River Census Area	4.2	Very Low
14	Nome Census Area	2.8	Very Low
15	Dillingham Census Area	2	Very Low
16	Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area	1.9	Very Low
17	Denali Borough	1.5	Very Low
18	Chugach Census Area	1.1	Very Low
19	North Slope Borough	0.8	Very Low
20	Hoonah-Angoon Census Area	0.7	Very Low
21	Lake and Peninsula Borough	0.5	Very Low
22	Petersburg Borough	0.4	Very Low
23	Skagway Municipality	0.4	Very Low
24	Wrangell City and Borough	0.4	Very Low
25	Haines Borough	0.3	Very Low
26	Bristol Bay Borough	0.2	Very Low
27	Kodiak Island Borough	0.2	Very Low
28	Aleutians East Borough	0.1	Very Low
29	Yakutat City and Borough	0.1	Very Low
30	Aleutians West Census Area	0	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.

Lightning risk nationally:

Top 50 US counties

Other hazard risks in Alaska:

Wildfire Inland Flooding Coastal Flooding Earthquake Heat Wave Tornado Hurricane Hail Strong Wind Winter Weather Ice Storm Cold Wave Drought Landslide Avalanche Tsunami Volcanic Activity

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest lightning risk county in Alaska?

Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK has the highest lightning risk in Alaska, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 60 out of 100 (rated "Relatively Moderate").

What causes lightning risk in Alaska?

Lightning risk reflects expected annual losses from cloud-to-ground strikes, which ignite building fires, damage electrical systems, and cause fatalities. Florida consistently leads the US in lightning density. High scores also appear across the Gulf Coast, Southeast, and central Plains, where afternoon convective storms are most frequent in summer months.