Storm risk in Wake County, North Carolina
FEMA rates Wake County Relatively High for natural-hazard risk overall, 141st of 3,144 rated counties. For a roof the three that matter are hail (Relatively High), strong wind (Relatively Low) and tornado (Relatively High). NOAA logged 131 hail reports here from 2014 to June 2026.
FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. Planning-level county ratings.
Each dot is the county’s score from 0 to 100 against all rated U.S. counties; the bar colour is FEMA’s rating band.
Hazard by hazard
| Hazard | Rating | Score (0 to 100) | Rank in U.S. | Rank in NC | Expected yearly loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Relatively High | 95.5 | 141 | 4 of 100 | $260,541,232buildings |
| Hail | Relatively High | 98.5 | 48 | 1 of 100 | $12,607,523buildings |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 49.3 | 1,594 | 63 of 100 | $289,510buildings |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 95.3 | 148 | 3 of 100 | $20,021,385all exposure |
Rank 1 is the highest score. Expected annual loss is a county total in dollars per year, not a figure per home; the overall, hail and wind rows count buildings only, the tornado row all exposure.
Wake County in plain numbers
- FEMA's overall rating for Wake County is Relatively High, score 95.5 of 100, 141st of 3,144 rated counties.
- Hail: Relatively High (score 98.5), 48th nationwide and 1st of 100 counties in North Carolina.
- Expected yearly hail loss to buildings: $12,607,523 for the whole county, about $52.17 per $1 million of building value.
- NRI's hail record averages 4.1 hail events a year in the county.
- Strong wind: Relatively Low (score 49.3), 1594th nationwide; expected yearly loss to buildings $289,510, about $1.20 per $1 million of building value.
- Tornado: Relatively High (score 95.3), 148th nationwide; total expected yearly loss $20,021,385.
- Buildings in the county are valued at 241.7 billion dollars in the index; population 1,128,357.
- Social vulnerability is rated Very Low and community resilience Very High.
- NOAA logged 131 hail reports in Wake County from 2014 to June 2026; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 30 days and the largest stone was 2.75 inches.
- 1 of our cities is in the county: Cary.
- 31 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have more than half of their land area in Wake County.
- Our guide range for a 2,000 sq ft asphalt roof in Cary is $6,370 to $14,105.
- NOAA lists 7 tornado tracks in the county since 2014.
Where large hail was reported
FEMA scores the county as a whole. NOAA’s storm reports show where inside it the big stones fell.
Reported hail locations, Wake County
- 761 to 1.74 in
- 201.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
- 22.75 in and up, baseball
Largest plotted stone: 2.75 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.
98 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.
Sources: NOAA, Census county outlineCities and ZIP areas in Wake 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. 31 such areas have more than half their land here.
| City | ZIP areas (share of land in the county) | Pages |
|---|---|---|
| Cary | 27513 (100%), 27518 (100%), 27519 (92%), 27520 (4%), 27521 (0%) | Roofers |
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How high is storm risk in Wake County?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wake County Relatively High overall. By peril: hail Relatively High, strong wind Relatively Low, tornado Relatively High. The highest-scoring of the three for this county is hail (score 98.5).
How many hail reports has NOAA logged in Wake County?
131 reports between 2014 and June 2026 in NOAA's Storm Events Database. A report is one entry for one storm in one county, so counts follow where people live as well as where hail fell.
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 a county total, not a figure per home, and it is built for comparing counties, not for pricing one house.
Does a high rating mean my roof will be damaged?
No. The index compares counties at planning level. It cannot say what will happen on your street. After a storm, a roof inspection is the only way to know.
How does Wake County compare with the rest of North Carolina?
For hail it ranks 1st of 100 rated counties in the state; for strong wind 63rd of 100; for tornado 3rd of 100.
Other North Carolina counties
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020). 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). Planning-level information, not an inspection and not insurance advice.