14 FEMA areas

Hurricane Risk by City in North Carolina

Compare 16 cities using FEMA's relative hurricane scores and annualized frequency for the county-equivalent areas shown.

Highest relative score

99.4/100

New Hanover County

Covered cities: Wilmington

Lowest relative score in this set

66.6/100

Buncombe County

Covered cities: Asheville

These are relative FEMA scores for county-equivalent areas. They are not annual probabilities or property-level findings.

North Carolina hurricane rankings

Cities sharing a FEMA area are grouped together and receive the same score.

Rank	FEMA area and cities	Rating	Score	Annualized frequency
#1	New Hanover County Wilmington	Very High	99.4/100	0.397 per year
#2	Onslow County Jacksonville	Relatively High	99.0/100	0.397 per year
#3	Pitt County Greenville	Relatively High	96.3/100	0.292 per year
#4	Wake County Cary Raleigh	Relatively Moderate	94.2/100	0.178 per year
#5	Cumberland County Fayetteville	Relatively Moderate	94.0/100	0.243 per year
#6	Mecklenburg County Charlotte	Relatively Moderate	88.7/100	0.086 per year
#7	Guilford County Greensboro High Point	Relatively Moderate	88.3/100	0.091 per year
#8	Durham County Durham	Relatively Moderate	88.1/100	0.137 per year
#9	Forsyth County Winston-Salem	Relatively Low	84.6/100	0.084 per year
#10	Alamance County Burlington	Relatively Low	82.8/100	0.108 per year
#11	Cabarrus County Concord	Relatively Low	79.3/100	0.089 per year
#12	Gaston County Gastonia	Relatively Low	77.0/100	0.073 per year
#13	Catawba County Hickory	Relatively Low	75.1/100	0.059 per year
#14	Buncombe County Asheville	Relatively Low	66.6/100	0.022 per year

Occurrence thresholds vary by hazard. The FEMA methodology defines the value for each hazard.

Preparing for hurricane

Ready.gov Be Informed ↗

For a home or move

✓Confirm the exact hazard using official local maps before making property or insurance decisions.
✓Review policy exclusions, deductibles, and temporary-living coverage with a licensed professional.
✓Keep inspections, inventories, and critical documents in a secure location you can access after an emergency.

For a household plan

✓Know how local officials issue warnings and evacuation instructions.
✓Maintain water, food, lighting, medications, and communications for several days.
✓Create a household communication plan and practice it before an emergency.

Questions about hurricane risk in North Carolina

Which covered North Carolina cities have the highest relative hurricane risk?

Wilmington use FEMA data for New Hanover County, which has the highest relative hurricane score in this covered set at 99.4/100. Cities sharing the same FEMA area share the same score.

Which covered North Carolina area has the lowest relative hurricane score?

Buncombe County has the lowest score in this covered set at 66.6/100. This is a relative FEMA comparison, not a declaration that every property there is safe.

Are these hurricane figures city-level?

No. The city links provide geographic navigation, while the scores and frequencies cover the FEMA county-equivalent areas shown in the table. Address-level conditions require local maps and property details.

Is the FEMA relative score an annual probability?

No. The relative score compares FEMA areas on a 0–100 scale. Annualized frequency appears separately with hazard-specific units.

Related state and hazard pages

North Carolina Tornado

Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.19.0, released March 2023. Hazard data covers FEMA county-equivalent areas.

FEMA source ↗Our methodology →