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North Carolina tornado risk

100 counties scored 0 rated Very High

Mecklenburg County has the highest tornado risk in North Carolina, scoring 97.4 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded tornado events across North Carolina have decreased 32% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period.

# County NRI score Rating NOAA events
2016–2026
1 Mecklenburg County 97.4 Relatively High 6
2 Robeson County 97 Relatively High 6
3 Wake County 95.3 Relatively High 5
4 Union County 94.7 Relatively High 3
5 Pitt County 94.3 Relatively High 1
6 Johnston County 93.6 Relatively High 4
7 Durham County 93.5 Relatively High 4
8 Cumberland County 93 Relatively High 0
9 Gaston County 91.1 Relatively High 6
10 Forsyth County 90.9 Relatively High 0
11 New Hanover County 90.4 Relatively High 16
12 Wayne County 89.9 Relatively Moderate 4
13 Cabarrus County 89.1 Relatively Moderate 3
14 Guilford County 88.7 Relatively Moderate 3
15 Randolph County 87.4 Relatively Moderate 1
16 Harnett County 87.1 Relatively Moderate 2
17 Brunswick County 87 Relatively Moderate 21
18 Davidson County 86.9 Relatively Moderate 2
19 Lenoir County 86.5 Relatively Moderate 3
20 Craven County 86.4 Relatively Moderate 7
21 Catawba County 86.3 Relatively Moderate 5
22 Iredell County 85.9 Relatively Moderate 7
23 Onslow County 85.8 Relatively Moderate 6
24 Moore County 85.7 Relatively Moderate 1
25 Rowan County 85.7 Relatively Moderate 3
26 Nash County 84.9 Relatively Moderate 5
27 Duplin County 83.1 Relatively Moderate 4
28 Alamance County 82.3 Relatively Moderate 5
29 Columbus County 82.3 Relatively Moderate 8
30 Lee County 81.5 Relatively Moderate 1
31 Orange County 81.5 Relatively Moderate 4
32 Buncombe County 81.3 Relatively Moderate 1
33 Richmond County 81.2 Relatively Moderate 0
34 Scotland County 80.8 Relatively Moderate 0
35 Henderson County 80.6 Relatively Moderate 1
36 Sampson County 80.2 Relatively Moderate 6
37 Edgecombe County 79.9 Relatively Moderate 6
38 Cleveland County 79.8 Relatively Moderate 9
39 Halifax County 79.7 Relatively Moderate 3
40 Lincoln County 78.4 Relatively Moderate 4
41 Bladen County 78.1 Relatively Moderate 6
42 Chatham County 75.8 Relatively Moderate 2
43 Hoke County 75.8 Relatively Moderate 1
44 Burke County 75.2 Relatively Moderate 3
45 Beaufort County 74.6 Relatively Moderate 6
46 Wilkes County 72.5 Relatively Moderate 6
47 Anson County 71.9 Relatively Moderate 3
48 Pender County 70.9 Relatively Moderate 17
49 Franklin County 70.8 Relatively Moderate 3
50 Wilson County 70.2 Relatively Moderate 3
51 Rutherford County 69.8 Relatively Moderate 4
52 Cherokee County 68.1 Relatively Moderate 2
53 Granville County 67.9 Relatively Moderate 2
54 Montgomery County 65.6 Relatively Moderate 0
55 Stanly County 65.1 Relatively Moderate 4
56 Vance County 63.9 Relatively Low 3
57 Jackson County 62.2 Relatively Low 2
58 Bertie County 62.1 Relatively Low 6
59 Caldwell County 62.1 Relatively Low 3
60 Macon County 60.9 Relatively Low 0
61 Martin County 60.2 Relatively Low 2
62 Watauga County 60.1 Relatively Low 2
63 Surry County 59.4 Relatively Low 2
64 Greene County 59 Relatively Low 1
65 Haywood County 57.8 Relatively Low 0
66 Warren County 57.7 Relatively Low 1
67 Rockingham County 56.4 Relatively Low 4
68 McDowell County 56.1 Relatively Low 2
69 Person County 54.9 Relatively Low 0
70 Northampton County 54.7 Relatively Low 3
71 Polk County 53.7 Relatively Low 2
72 Alexander County 53.3 Relatively Low 5
73 Transylvania County 52.6 Relatively Low 0
74 Hertford County 47.6 Relatively Low 3
75 Yadkin County 47.5 Relatively Low 2
76 Dare County 47 Relatively Low 2
77 Carteret County 45.4 Relatively Low 18
78 Clay County 44.5 Relatively Low 1
79 Pasquotank County 44.5 Relatively Low 1
80 Washington County 41.6 Relatively Low 1
81 Ashe County 39.8 Relatively Low 1
82 Caswell County 39.5 Relatively Low 1
83 Avery County 38.6 Relatively Low 1
84 Davie County 37.2 Relatively Low 1
85 Pamlico County 36.4 Relatively Low 6
86 Stokes County 35.9 Relatively Low 1
87 Swain County 35.4 Relatively Low 1
88 Perquimans County 35.2 Relatively Low 4
89 Yancey County 35.1 Relatively Low 1
90 Alleghany County 27.5 Relatively Low 0
91 Chowan County 27.1 Relatively Low 2
92 Graham County 26.8 Relatively Low 0
93 Mitchell County 26.6 Relatively Low 0
94 Madison County 25.3 Very Low 2
95 Gates County 22.3 Very Low 1
96 Currituck County 21.9 Very Low 2
97 Jones County 21.8 Very Low 5
98 Hyde County 21.7 Very Low 2
99 Tyrrell County 21.4 Very Low 1
100 Camden County 13.6 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.

Tornado risk nationally:

Top 50 US counties

Other hazard risks in North Carolina:

WildfireInland FloodingCoastal FloodingEarthquakeHeat WaveHurricaneHailStrong WindWinter WeatherIce StormCold WaveLightningDroughtLandslideAvalancheTsunamiVolcanic Activity

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest tornado risk county in North Carolina?

Mecklenburg County, NC has the highest tornado risk in North Carolina, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 97.4 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").

What causes tornado risk in North Carolina?

Tornado risk concentrates in the central and southern plains ("Tornado Alley") and the Southeast ("Dixie Alley"), where atmospheric conditions favor supercell thunderstorm development. The highest scores often belong to counties with significant mobile home and manufactured housing stock, which carries disproportionate tornado mortality risk.