Storm risk in Onslow County, North Carolina

FEMA's overall hazard score for Onslow County is 94.97 (Relatively High), 159th of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 44.43 (Relatively Low), strong wind 80.60 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 85.81 (Relatively Moderate). Expected hail loss is $2.49 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 35 hail reports in Onslow County from 2014 to June 2026.

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

Onslow 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: $2.49 per $1 million, 2,609th of 3,126 rated counties$2.49Hail2,609th of 3,126 countiesStrong wind: $13 per $1 million, 1,963rd of 3,121 rated counties$13Strong wind1,963rd of 3,121 countiesTornado: $203 per $1 million, 1,545th of 3,144 rated counties$203Tornado1,545th of 3,144 counties
  • Onslow 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 Onslow County

HazardRatingScore (0 to 100)Rank in U.S.Rank in NC
OverallRelatively High 94.97159 of 3,1445 of 100
HailRelatively Low 44.431,748 of 3,12665 of 100
Strong windRelatively Moderate 80.60611 of 3,12620 of 100
TornadoRelatively Moderate 85.81447 of 3,12623 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$84,294$2.49 $9.65$22 2,609 of 3,12696 of 100
Strong wind$454,616$13 $8.61$20 1,963 of 3,12122 of 100
Tornado$6,866,464$203 $156$199 1,545 of 3,14431 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 Onslow County

  • FEMA expects hail in Onslow County to cost $2.49 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.11 times the U.S. median and 0.26 times the NC county median, ranked 2,609th of 3,126 counties nationally and 96th of 100 in North Carolina.
  • FEMA expects strong wind in Onslow County to cost $13 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.66 times the U.S. median and 1.56 times the NC county median, ranked 1,963rd of 3,121 counties nationally and 22nd of 100 in North Carolina.
  • FEMA expects tornado in Onslow County to cost $203 per $1 million of buildings a year: 1.02 times the U.S. median and 1.30 times the NC county median, ranked 1,545th of 3,144 counties nationally and 31st of 100 in North Carolina.
  • Applying FEMA's estimate to a $219,500 home, the average yearly loss in Onslow County is about $0.55 for hail and $2.95 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $4.90 and $4.47.
  • If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Onslow County meets about 16.7 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
  • Built in 1997, the median home in Onslow County is 29 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and is inside the rated life of an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 54.2% of its 85,917 homes are at least 26 years old.
  • March to June holds 31 of the 35 hail reports in Onslow County (89 percent); the quietest month is January, with 0 reports.

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

Enter a home value. The calculator applies Onslow 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.

$0.55hail, a year; $4.90 at the U.S. median county rate
$2.95strong wind, a year; $4.47 at the U.S. median county rate
$70hail and wind together over 20 years, at today’s rate

Formula: home value × Onslow County yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $84,294 ÷ $33,850,515,234 = 0.0000025. Wind: $454,616 ÷ $33,850,515,234 = 0.0000134. 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.

Onslow County in plain numbers

  • Onslow County scores 94.97 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively High): 159th of 3,144 rated counties and 5th of 100 in North Carolina.
  • Hail scores 44.43 (Relatively Low). FEMA expects $84,294 of hail damage to buildings in Onslow County a year, which is $2.49 per $1 million of buildings, 0.11 times the U.S. median.
  • Strong wind scores 80.60 (Relatively Moderate) with $454,616 of expected yearly building loss in Onslow County: $13 per $1 million of buildings, 0.66 times the U.S. median.
  • Tornado scores 85.81 (Relatively Moderate) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $6,866,464, counting everything exposed, or $203 per $1 million of buildings in Onslow County.
  • FEMA's own event record for Onslow County averages 2.52 hail events and 1.21 strong-wind events a year.
  • NOAA logged 35 hail reports in Onslow County between 2014 and June 2026, on 10 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 1.75 inches.
  • In Onslow County, FEMA counts buildings worth 33.85 billion dollars and 202,949 residents.
  • Social vulnerability is Very Low in Onslow County.
  • Community resilience there is Relatively Moderate, for 202,949 residents.
  • 1 city in Onslow County is covered on this site: Jacksonville. 13 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 Jacksonville is $6,370 to $14,105.
  • Onslow County ranks 171 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 88 for wind and 109 for tornado.
  • In Onslow County, June is the busiest month with 11 of the 35 reports (31 percent), against 0 reports in December.
  • Onslow County's worst year was 2014, with 3 hail days at 1 inch or more and 12 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 0.83 such days a year, one about every 14.4 months.
  • The median home in Onslow County was built in 1997; 26.0% of its 85,917 housing units date from before 1980, 54.2% from before 2000 and 25.3% from 2010 on.
  • Census puts the median home value in Onslow County at $219,500, and 61.0% of homes are lived in by their owners.
  • 13,680 single-family building permits were issued in Onslow County from 2014 to 2025, about 159.2 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2021.
  • NOAA lists 6 tornado tracks in Onslow County since 2014; the strongest was an EF1 on May 24, 2024 near Verona, 8.84 miles long.
  • The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Onslow County is 81 mph on April 13, 2020 at Haw.
  • The nearest county with a page here is New Hanover County, 44 miles from the centre of Onslow County; its hail score is 21.06.
  • Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 4 roofing contractor establishments in Onslow County in 2023, one for every 21,479 homes.

The hail record of Onslow County, year by year

NOAA logged 35 reports in Onslow County; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 10 days. That is 0.8 such days a year; the median county in NOAA’s file has 1.8.

Onslow County: NOAA hail reports per year, 2014 to June 2026, with the number of days that had hail of 1 inch or more0246810122014: 12 reports, 3 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch142015: 4 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch152016: 5 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.25 inch162017: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch172018: 5 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.5 inch182019: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch192020: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch202021: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 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: 4 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch242025: 5 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 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
Onslow County: NOAA hail reports by calendar month, 2014 to June 2026January: 0 reports0JanFebruary: 0 reports0FebMarch: 6 reports6MarApril: 5 reports5AprMay: 9 reports9MayJune: 11 reports11JunJuly: 3 reports3JulAugust: 0 reports0AugSeptember: 1 reports1SepOctober: 0 reports0OctNovember: 0 reports0NovDecember: 0 reports0Dec

Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: June, 11 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
201412311.75 in–
20154101 in–
20165101.25 in–
20185201.5 in–
20244101 in–
20255211.75 in–

Biggest hail days in Onslow County

DateLargest stoneReports that dayDamage reportedNear
March 22, 20141.75 in6none recordedSwansboro
April 23, 20251.75 in3none recorded(Oaj)Ellis Fld Jacks
June 24, 20181.5 in4none recordedCatherine Lake
June 14, 20161.25 in2none recordedErvintown
June 19, 20151 in4none recordedBell Fork

Where large hail was reported

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

Reported hail locations, Onslow County

1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1.25 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail Jacksonville
  • 221 to 1.74 in
  • 31.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
  • 02.75 in and up, baseball

Largest plotted stone: 1.75 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.

25 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 Onslow County

Fastest gusts in Onslow County

DateGustNear
April 13, 202081 mphHaw
January 9, 202478 mph(Nca)Mcas New River
July 9, 202369 mphCyrus
January 9, 202469 mphBear Creek

Strongest tornado tracks in Onslow County

DateScaleLengthInjured / killedNear
March 12, 2026EF10.26 mi0 / 0Belgrade
May 24, 2024EF18.84 mi0 / 0Verona
April 13, 2020EF15.5 mi0 / 0Haw
September 15, 2018EF12.5 mi0 / 0Willis Lndg

6 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 Onslow County’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 0.83 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.

Onslow 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: 0.6% of homes0.6%<1940761940s: 2.0% of homes2%1940s681950s: 5.6% of homes5.6%1950s591960s: 6.7% of homes6.7%1960s511970s: 11.0% of homes11%1970s421980s: 13.5% of homes13.5%1980s341990s: 14.7% of homes14.7%1990s262000s: 20.5% of homes20.5%2000s182010s: 22.8% of homes22.8%2010s92020+: 2.5% of homes2.5%2020+2

Bars: share of 85,917 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 built1997
Built before 198026.0%
Built before 200054.2%
Built since 201025.3%
Owner-occupied61.0%
Median home value$219,500
Single-family permits, 2014 to 202513,680
Permits per 1,000 homes159.2

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 Onslow County

Roofing firms in Onslow County

Roofing contractor establishments, 20234
Change since 2016-2 (-33%)
Homes per roofing firm21,479
Median across counties5,189
Employees, 202336

Source for Onslow 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 Onslow County's.

CountyMilesOverallHail lossHail, times hereWind lossWind, times hereNOAA hail reports
New Hanover County, NC44 Relatively High $1.450.58$2.540.1914
Cumberland County, NC84 Relatively Moderate $145.78$110.7925
Edgecombe County, NC84 Relatively Low $145.44$120.9214
Wake County, NC103 Relatively High $5220.95$1.200.09131
Alamance County, NC146 Relatively Low $187.17$6.650.5019
Guilford County, NC165 Relatively Moderate $104.08$3.230.2448

More North Carolina counties, nearest first

All 194 counties, with a filter by state and sorting

Cities and ZIP areas in Onslow 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. 13 such areas have more than half their land here.

CityZIP areas (share of land in the county)Pages
Jacksonville 28540 (100%), 28555 (51%) Roofers

Storm hit your roof in Onslow County? A free inspection tells you if there is damage. One local roofer answers, not five.

Start an inspection request

Questions

How high is storm risk in Onslow County?

FEMA's National Risk Index gives Onslow County an overall score of 94.97 (Relatively High), 159th of 3,144. Hail scores 44.43 (Relatively Low), strong wind 80.60 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 85.81 (Relatively Moderate).

In Onslow 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 35 for Onslow County between 2014 and June 2026, on 10 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 1.75 inches.

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

Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $219,500: FEMA's estimate is about $0.55 a year for hail and $2.95 for wind, before any deductible, against $4.90 and $4.47 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 Onslow County compare with the rest of North Carolina?

Per $1 million of buildings Onslow County loses $2.49 to hail a year, against $9.65 in the median county of the state. Among 100 rated counties it is 65th for hail, 20th for strong wind and 23rd for tornado.

How old are the roofs in Onslow County?

The median home was built in 1997, 29 years ago, and 54.2% of the 85,917 housing units in Onslow County date from before 2000. Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) or 25 to 30 years (architectural), so an original 3-tab roof is past its rated life and an architectural one is inside it. 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 Onslow County: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Onslow County; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Onslow County; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Onslow County. Planning-level information about Onslow 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).