Wake County, NC Environment & Hazard Risk

• HailRelatively High$12.7M/yr expected annual loss, about 4.1 events a year
• Heat waveRelatively High$14.72M/yr expected annual loss, about 6.9 events a year
• TornadoRelatively High$20.02M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
• LightningRelatively High$2.14M/yr expected annual loss, about 50 events a year
• Ice stormRelatively High$1.53M/yr expected annual loss, about 1.6 events a year
• HurricaneRelatively Moderate$11.94M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 6 years
• EarthquakeRelatively Low$5.94M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 900 years
• Winter weatherRelatively Moderate$425K/yr expected annual loss, about 6.4 events a year
• Cold waveRelatively Moderate$6.73M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
• LandslideRelatively Low$10.55K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
• WildfireVery Low$115K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 15,690 years
• DroughtRelatively Low$248K/yr expected annual loss, about 14 events a year
• Strong windRelatively Low$861K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year

Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: avalanche, coastal flooding, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.

Check the flood zone for an address

Homes with flood insurance

2,790 of 338,927 (0.8%)

Homes in high-risk flood zones

1,680

Insured in high-risk zones

770 (46%)

Flood claims since 1978

1,642

Claims paid since 1978

$31.25M

• Thunderstorm Wind688 · 3 deaths
• Hail331
• Flash Flood290 · 1 death
• Lightning41 · 4 deaths
• Winter Storm33
• Winter Weather30 · 2 deaths
• Heavy Rain25
• Tornado20 · 4 deaths
• Strong Wind17 · 1 death
• Flood10

• TornadoEF3, 37.99 mi path, 300 yd wide04/16/2011

  Burt, Wake County

  4 deaths, 67 injured, $115M damage

  What happened

  The tornado exited Chatham County and entered southwest Wake County as an EF0. There was multiple tree and roof damage along Avent Ferry Road, southwest of Holly Springs. The tornado intensified to an EF1 with winds of 86 mph as it reached Fire Station Number Two and the Holly Glenn Subdivision before crossing highway 55 and tracking through the Remington subdivision. The tornado continued to track northeastward and caused extensive tree damage and damage to numerous homes, mainly from fallen trees along Pierce Olive, Ten-Ten, Penny Road, and Yates Mill Pond roads, as wind speeds increased to around 100 mph. The tornado crossed Tryon Road, between Lake Wheeler Road and the Raleigh Golf Association Golf Course, before tracking northeast across the entire City of Raleigh, producing EF1 damage in a narrow swath between 50 to 100 yards. It crossed directly over Interstates 40-440, between exits 297 and 298 with damage on both sides of the interstate clearly visible. The tornado continued northeast across South Saunders Street, where 4 businesses were damaged. A body shop was completely destroyed when the roof was ripped off and the side walls collapsed. The tornado continued to...

• Hail2.75" hail05/13/2019

  Williams Xrds, Wake County

  $95M damage

  What happened

  A supercell thunderstorm tracked across portions of southern Wake County into central Johnston County. The thunderstorm produced hail ranging from golf ball size to baseball size hail. The hail caused extensive damage to homes, cars, buildings and businesses in its path. Several car dealerships has substantial damage done to cars on their lots and many homeowners had broken winds and significant roof and siding damage.

• Flash Flood10/08/2016

  Purnell, Wake County

  $65.5M damage

  What happened

  Heavy rainfall of 7 to 10 inches caused widespread flash flooding across the county. Roads all throughout the county were closed due to flooding. Numerous homes and businesses were flooded as well, with numerous water rescues from people trapped in homes and vehicles. Flooding damaged approximately 2503 structures throughout the county, resulting in $65.5 million in property damage.

• Hurricane (Typhoon)09/06/1996

  Wake

  3 deaths

  What happened

  Hurricane FRAN was the worst natural economic disaster to occur in North Carolina history. In the RAH county warning area along, the damage exceeded 2 billion dollars. Damage to crops, livestock, farm equipment/buildings was over 400 million. The agricultural damage was the greatest in Sampson, Johnston, and Wayne counties. Several hundred thousand trees were uprooted or broken. Ten's of thousands of homes were damaged by falling trees. In the path of the storm's center, almost every neighborhood was affected.The copious rainfall produced many severe flash and river floods.The flooding on the Haw River at the town of Haw River, the Neuse River at Smithfield and Goldsboro, and the Tar River at Louisburg and Rocky Mount, all neared or exceeded the highest flood on record. Many homes located in the flood plain had to be evacuated. The most massive evacuation occurred in Goldsboro where residents of 550 homes had to be moved to public shelters. Hundreds of cars in Goldsboro were damaged by water, many of which were underwater with only their radio antenna showing. Many homes and businesses incurred heavy losses. Along the Crabtree Creek in Raleigh, which crested at its highest...

• TornadoF1, 3 mi path, 50 yd wide04/16/1996

  Wendell, Wake County

  26 injured, $3M damage

  What happened

  The second is a series of three tornadoes began about 100 yards to the SE of where the first tornado began (off Hwy 64 in Wendell). The storm was initially less than 25 yards wide asit moved NNE and twisted trees and blew shingles off several houses. About one half mile from the initial touchdown, the storm widened to 50 yards as it approached the town of Zebulon. Trees were downed and the roof was blown off a brick home near the railroad tracks. Another home and a manufactured home were damaged as the storm crossed a street and moved up a hill. The storm then preceded over and down the hill into a mobile home park. Damage was extensive to all the trailers in the park that were directly in the path. The storm continued moving NNE into downtown Zebulon where it downed numerous large trees. Houses in the direct path of the storm were all brick and sustained only roof damage. The Zebulon Middle School sustained major roof damage to the main building. The tornado was last noted at Karial and Old Bunn Roads where minor damage occurred to a frame house and severel trees were twisted.

• Flood09/18/2018

  Kennebec, Wake County

  $25M damage

  What happened

  Torrential rainfall of 8 to 10 inches caused widespread flooding across the county, which caused flooding along the creeks and other tributaries of the Neuse River Basin. Water being held in both Lake Jordan and Falls Lake resulted in flooding along the lake perimeters. Flooding caused over $20 million in crop damages. Numerous streets and roads were flooded. Final property damage estimates are still be tallied, but estimates of $5 to $10 million or more are possible.

• Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind07/29/2026

  Six Forks, Wake County

  $1,000 damage

• Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind07/29/2026

  Wendell, Wake County

  $5,000 damage

• Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind07/29/2026

  Leesville, Wake County

  $20K damage

• Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind07/29/2026

  Bayleaf, Wake County

  $1,000 damage

• Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind07/29/2026

  Leesville, Wake County

  1 death, $30K damage

• Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind07/29/2026

  Brookhaven, Wake County

  $4,000 damage

• Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind07/29/2026

  Wake Xrds, Wake County

  $2,000 damage

• Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind07/29/2026

  Brookhaven, Wake County

  $2,000 damage

• Hurricane Elsa (2021)07/01/2021 · Landfall: FL, NY, RI · 991 mbTropical storm52 mph nearby
• Hurricane Dennis (1999)08/24/1999 · Landfall: NC · 962 mbTropical storm40 mph nearby
• Hurricane Fran (1996)08/23/1996 · Landfall: NC · 946 mbCategory 175 mph nearby
• Hurricane Alma (1970)05/18/1970 · 993 mbTropical storm46 mph nearby
• Hurricane Diane (1955)08/07/1955 · Landfall: NC · 969 mbTropical storm63 mph nearby
• Hurricane Hazel (1954)10/05/1954 · Landfall: SC · 938 mbCategory 4132 mph nearby
• Unnamed storm (1944)10/12/1944 · Landfall: FL · 937 mbTropical storm52 mph nearby
• Unnamed storm (1935)08/29/1935 · Landfall: FL · 892 mbTropical storm58 mph nearby
• Unnamed storm (1929)09/19/1929 · Landfall: FL · 924 mbTropical storm58 mph nearby
• Unnamed storm (1904)09/08/1904 · Landfall: SCTropical storm69 mph nearby

• Raleigh, City ofServes 650,000 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
• Cary, Town ofServes 227,300 · Surface water · Local government1 health violation+1 monitoring or reporting
• Apex, Town ofServes 83,001 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
• Holly Springs, Town ofServes 51,947 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
• Fuquay-Varina, Town ofServes 42,954 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+6 monitoring or reporting
• Bayleaf MasterServes 16,715 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations+30 monitoring or reporting
• New Light MasterServes 2,619 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
• Stonehenge S/DServes 1,840 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting