Storm risk in New Hanover County, North Carolina

FEMA's overall hazard score for New Hanover County is 96.12 (Relatively High), 123rd of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 21.06 (Very Low), strong wind 54.64 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 90.36 (Relatively High). Expected hail loss is $1.45 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 14 hail reports in New Hanover County from 2014 to June 2026.

FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. NOAA hail reports 2014 to June 2026.

New Hanover County: expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings for hail, strong wind and tornado, on a log scale, against all U.S. counties and the counties of NC$0.1$1$10$100$1,000Hail: $1.45 per $1 million, 2,711th of 3,126 rated counties$1.45Hail2,711th of 3,126 countiesStrong wind: $2.54 per $1 million, 2,863rd of 3,121 rated counties$2.54Strong wind2,863rd of 3,121 countiesTornado: $155 per $1 million, 1,800th of 3,144 rated counties$155Tornado1,800th of 3,144 counties
  • New Hanover County, coloured by its FEMA rating
  • all U.S. counties
  • each county in the state
  • U.S. median
  • state median

Expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings, log scale. Dot colour is FEMA’s rating band. The tornado lane counts everything exposed, not only buildings.

How FEMA rates New Hanover County

HazardRatingScore (0 to 100)Rank in U.S.Rank in NC
OverallRelatively High 96.12123 of 3,1442 of 100
HailVery Low 21.062,483 of 3,12688 of 100
Strong windRelatively Moderate 54.641,427 of 3,12653 of 100
TornadoRelatively High 90.36304 of 3,12611 of 100

Expected yearly loss, in dollars

HazardThis county, total a yearPer $1M of buildingsState median countyU.S. median countyRank per $1M, U.S.Rank per $1M, state
Hail$83,339$1.45 $9.65$22 2,711 of 3,12699 of 100
Strong wind$146,065$2.54 $8.61$20 2,863 of 3,12195 of 100
Tornado$8,936,027$155 $156$199 1,800 of 3,14451 of 100

Rank 1 is the highest. Overall, hail and wind losses count buildings; the tornado row counts everything FEMA exposes, so it overstates building damage. Expected annual loss is an average over many years for the whole county, not a forecast for one roof.

What stands out in New Hanover County

  • FEMA expects hail in New Hanover County to cost $1.45 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.06 times the U.S. median and 0.15 times the NC county median, ranked 2,711th of 3,126 counties nationally and 99th of 100 in North Carolina.
  • FEMA expects strong wind in New Hanover County to cost $2.54 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.12 times the U.S. median and 0.29 times the NC county median, ranked 2,863rd of 3,121 counties nationally and 95th of 100 in North Carolina.
  • FEMA expects tornado in New Hanover County to cost $155 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.78 times the U.S. median and 0.99 times the NC county median, ranked 1,800th of 3,144 counties nationally and 51st of 100 in North Carolina.
  • NOAA has only 14 hail reports for New Hanover County in 12 years, too few for a trend; FEMA's 86 counted hail events cover a longer record.
  • Applying FEMA's estimate to a $353,700 home, the average yearly loss in New Hanover County is about $0.51 for hail and $0.90 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $7.90 and $7.21.
  • If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in New Hanover County meets about 15.0 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
  • Built in 1992, the median home in New Hanover County is 34 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 64.9% of its 117,236 homes are at least 26 years old.
  • March to June holds 6 of the 14 hail reports in New Hanover County (43 percent); the quietest month is February, with 0 reports.

What hail and wind cost a home here in an average year

Enter a home value. The calculator applies New Hanover County’s own loss rate: the county’s expected yearly loss divided by the value of its buildings. It starts at the Census median home value for the county.

$0.51hail, a year; $7.90 at the U.S. median county rate
$0.90strong wind, a year; $7.21 at the U.S. median county rate
$28hail and wind together over 20 years, at today’s rate

Formula: home value × New Hanover County yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $83,339 ÷ $57,542,682,167 = 0.0000014. Wind: $146,065 ÷ $57,542,682,167 = 0.0000025. This is FEMA’s estimate of average damage to buildings and does not account for your deductible. Tornado is left out because FEMA’s tornado loss counts people and other exposure, not only buildings.

Read this as a yardstick. The rate is an average over every building in the county, from sheds to office towers, and over many years. Real losses come in rare, large storms; a roof with no damage in 19 years can need full replacement in the 20th. The figure is not a quote and not a prediction for one address.

New Hanover County in plain numbers

  • New Hanover County scores 96.12 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively High): 123rd of 3,144 rated counties and 2nd of 100 in North Carolina.
  • Hail scores 21.06 (Very Low). FEMA expects $83,339 of hail damage to buildings in New Hanover County a year, which is $1.45 per $1 million of buildings, 0.06 times the U.S. median.
  • Strong wind scores 54.64 (Relatively Moderate) with $146,065 of expected yearly building loss in New Hanover County: $2.54 per $1 million of buildings, 0.12 times the U.S. median.
  • Tornado scores 90.36 (Relatively High) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $8,936,027, counting everything exposed, or $155 per $1 million of buildings in New Hanover County.
  • FEMA's own event record for New Hanover County averages 2.18 hail events and 1.45 strong-wind events a year.
  • NOAA logged 14 hail reports in New Hanover County between 2014 and June 2026, on 9 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 1 inch.
  • In New Hanover County, FEMA counts buildings worth 57.54 billion dollars and 225,344 residents.
  • Social vulnerability is Very Low in New Hanover County.
  • Community resilience there is Very High, for 225,344 residents.
  • 1 city in New Hanover County is covered on this site: Wilmington. 10 Census ZIP areas have more than half of their land in the county.
  • Our guide range for a 2,000 sq ft asphalt roof in Wilmington is $6,510 to $14,415.
  • New Hanover County ranks 178 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 176 for wind and 126 for tornado.
  • In New Hanover County, July is the busiest month with 5 of the 14 reports (36 percent), against 1 report in January.
  • New Hanover County's worst year was 2016, with 2 hail days at 1 inch or more and 4 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 0.75 such days a year, one about every 16.0 months.
  • The median home in New Hanover County was built in 1992; 30.9% of its 117,236 housing units date from before 1980, 64.9% from before 2000 and 16.3% from 2010 on.
  • Census puts the median home value in New Hanover County at $353,700, and 60.7% of homes are lived in by their owners.
  • 16,001 single-family building permits were issued in New Hanover County from 2014 to 2025, about 136.5 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2017.
  • NOAA lists 17 tornado tracks in New Hanover County since 2014; the strongest was an EF1 on September 15, 2018 near Myrtle Grove, 4.45 miles long.
  • The fastest gust in NOAA's records for New Hanover County is 90 mph on July 23, 2015 at Fernside.
  • The nearest county with a page here is Onslow County, 44 miles from the centre of New Hanover County; its hail score is 44.43.
  • Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 30 roofing contractor establishments in New Hanover County in 2023, one for every 3,908 homes.

The hail record of New Hanover County, year by year

NOAA logged 14 reports in New Hanover County; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 9 days. With so few reports the yearly bars below are small numbers, and a single storm moves them.

New Hanover County: NOAA hail reports per year, 2014 to June 2026, with the number of days that had hail of 1 inch or more012342014: 2 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch142015: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch152016: 4 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch162017: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch172018: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch182019: 2 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch192020: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch202021: 2 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch212022: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch222023: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch232024: 3 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch242025: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch252026: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch26*
  • reports
  • days with hail of 1 inch or more
  • * 2026 runs to June only
New Hanover County: NOAA hail reports by calendar month, 2014 to June 2026January: 1 reports1JanFebruary: 0 reports0FebMarch: 0 reports0MarApril: 0 reports0AprMay: 3 reports3MayJune: 3 reports3JunJuly: 5 reports5JulAugust: 0 reports0AugSeptember: 2 reports2SepOctober: 0 reports0OctNovember: 0 reports0NovDecember: 0 reports0Dec

Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: July, 5 reports.

The same numbers as a table (years with at least one report)
YearReportsDays, 1 inch or moreDays, 1.75 inch or moreLargest stoneDamage reported
20142101 in$750
20164201 in$1,200
20181101 in–
20192101 in–
20212201 in–
20243201 in–

Biggest hail days in New Hanover County

DateLargest stoneReports that dayDamage reportedNear
July 28, 20141 in2$750Fernside
July 19, 20161 in2$200Baymeade
September 9, 20191 in2none recordedNew Bern Jct
June 24, 20241 in2none recordedKirkland
May 12, 20161 in1$1,000Murraysville

Where large hail was reported

FEMA scores the county as a whole. NOAA’s reports show where inside New Hanover County the big stones fell.

Reported hail locations, New Hanover County

1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail Wilmington
  • 91 to 1.74 in
  • 01.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
  • 02.75 in and up, baseball

Largest plotted stone: 1 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.

9 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.

Sources: NOAA, Census county outline

Wind and tornado records for New Hanover County

Fastest gusts in New Hanover County

DateGustNear
July 23, 201590 mphFernside
March 12, 202277 mphFt Fisher
January 9, 202472 mphWrightsboro
December 24, 202070 mphFernside

Strongest tornado tracks in New Hanover County

DateScaleLengthInjured / killedNear
August 30, 2023EF11.54 mi0 / 0Sea Breeze
September 5, 2019EF12.86 mi1 / 0Kirkland
September 15, 2018EF14.45 mi0 / 0Myrtle Grove
September 15, 2018EF12.92 mi0 / 0East Wilmington

17 tornado tracks in all since 2014; the strongest 4 are listed.

How old the roofs are

Census counts homes by the decade they were built. Under each bar is the number of hail days of 1 inch or more that an original roof from that decade has met, at New Hanover County’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 0.75 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.

New Hanover County: share of homes by decade built, with the hail days at 1 inch or more that an original roof from each decade has met at the county's 2014 to 2025 ratepre-1940: 5.5% of homes5.5%<1940681940s: 4.0% of homes4%1940s611950s: 4.4% of homes4.4%1950s531960s: 5.4% of homes5.4%1960s461970s: 11.6% of homes11.6%1970s381980s: 15.0% of homes15%1980s311990s: 19.0% of homes19%1990s232000s: 18.8% of homes18.8%2000s162010s: 14.0% of homes14%2010s82020+: 2.3% of homes2.3%2020+2

Bars: share of 117,236 housing units by decade built. Figures under the decade: hail days met by an original roof, at the county’s 2014 to 2025 pace. The pace of earlier years is unknown.

Median year built1992
Built before 198030.9%
Built before 200064.9%
Built since 201016.3%
Owner-occupied60.7%
Median home value$353,700
Single-family permits, 2014 to 202516,001
Permits per 1,000 homes136.5

Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) and 25 to 30 years (architectural). Source: Census ACS 2019 to 2023 and Building Permits Survey.

Roofers and past disasters in New Hanover County

Roofing firms in New Hanover County

Roofing contractor establishments, 202330
Change since 2016+10 (+50%)
Homes per roofing firm3,908
Median across counties5,189
Employees, 2023241

Source for New Hanover County: Census County Business Patterns, NAICS 238160.

Nearby counties

The closest counties that have a risk page, by distance between county centres. Loss is per $1 million of buildings; the columns marked "times here" divide the neighbour's loss by New Hanover County's.

CountyMilesOverallHail lossHail, times hereWind lossWind, times hereNOAA hail reports
Onslow County, NC44 Relatively High $2.491.72$135.2935
Cumberland County, NC78 Relatively Moderate $149.93$114.1825
Wake County, NC117 Relatively High $5236.02$1.200.47131
Edgecombe County, NC119 Relatively Low $149.35$124.8514
Alamance County, NC153 Relatively Low $1812.33$6.652.6219
Guilford County, NC168 Relatively Moderate $107.02$3.231.2748

More North Carolina counties, nearest first

All 194 counties, with a filter by state and sorting

Cities and ZIP areas in New Hanover County

1 city in this county is on PickARoofer. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are Census shapes that approximate ZIP codes; where we have a city’s ZIPs, the share is the part of each area’s land that lies in this county. 10 such areas have more than half their land here.

CityZIP areas (share of land in the county)Pages
Wilmington 28401 (78%), 28403 (100%), 28405 (100%), 28409 (100%), 28411 (80%) Roofers

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Questions

How high is storm risk in New Hanover County?

FEMA's National Risk Index gives New Hanover County an overall score of 96.12 (Relatively High), 123rd of 3,144. Hail scores 21.06 (Very Low), strong wind 54.64 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 90.36 (Relatively High).

In New Hanover County, how many hail reports has NOAA logged?

A report is one entry for one storm in one county, so counts follow where people live as well as where hail fell. NOAA has 14 for New Hanover County between 2014 and June 2026, on 9 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 1 inch.

What do hail and wind cost a home in New Hanover County each year, on average?

Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $353,700: FEMA's estimate is about $0.51 a year for hail and $0.90 for wind, before any deductible, against $7.90 and $7.21 at the U.S. median county rates. This is an average over many years and all buildings, not a prediction for one roof; one bad storm costs far more than the average year.

How does New Hanover County compare with the rest of North Carolina?

Per $1 million of buildings New Hanover County loses $1.45 to hail a year, against $9.65 in the median county of the state. Among 100 rated counties it is 88th for hail, 53rd for strong wind and 11th for tornado.

How old are the roofs in New Hanover County?

The median home was built in 1992, 34 years ago, and 64.9% of the 117,236 housing units in New Hanover County date from before 2000. Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) or 25 to 30 years (architectural), so an original roof of either kind is past its rated life. The Census does not record when a roof was replaced.

What does expected annual loss mean?

It is FEMA's estimate of the average yearly loss from a hazard, in dollars, summed over the county. It is built for comparing counties at planning level, not for pricing one house.

Does a high rating mean my roof will be damaged?

No. The index compares counties and cannot say what will happen on your street. After a storm, a roof inspection is the only way to know.

Sources for New Hanover County: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for New Hanover County; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in New Hanover County; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in New Hanover County. Planning-level information about New Hanover County, not an inspection and not insurance advice.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).