County storm facts
Storm prep for Wake County residents
Wake County has had 1,642 flood insurance claims since 1978, 16 federal disaster declarations for fires, storms, floods or mudslides since 1996, and 0 mapped wildfires that started here since 2021.
Sources:
Local data from official sources, updated weekly. This snapshot: September 29, 2026. Alerts load live from the National Weather Service when you open this page.
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Source: National Weather Service alerts.
Forecasts for this county (NWS county zone NCC183) come from:
Source: National Weather Service (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Help right now
Live from FEMA and the Red Cross shelter list. Check your address on the home page for what’s nearest you.
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FEMA assistance
Open shelters
County emergency office
Wake County is inland, off the hurricane evacuation zone map for its state, which covers the coast. Rain from a hurricane still floods inland places. Your county emergency office announces evacuations, shelters and alert sign-ups.
Recent burn areas
The national wildfire perimeter record lists no fires that started in Wake County since January 1, 2021.
That record only includes fires with a mapped perimeter, so it isn’t a measure of fire risk.
Source: NIFC WFIGS Interagency Fire Perimeters (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Flood history
1,642 flood insurance claims have been filed in Wake County since 1978. 175 of them were for floods from 2017 to 2026.
The years with the most claims: 1996 (369), 2006 (185), 2016 (182).
This is history, not a prediction. These are National Flood Insurance Program claims, so they only count insured buildings.
FEMA’s data runs through September 8, 2026.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Redacted Claims (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Federal disaster declarations
Wake County has been part of 16 federal disaster declarations for fires, storms, floods or mudslides since 1996: 0 for fires and 16 for storms, floods or mudslides.
Most recent
- Severe Winter StormJanuary 24, 2026 · EM-3637-NC
- Hurricane HeleneSeptember 26, 2024 · EM-3617-NC
- Tropical Storm DebbyAugust 6, 2024 · EM-3608-NC
FEMA’s ids start with DR for a major disaster, EM for an emergency and FM for fire management.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA, Disaster Declarations Summaries (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Landslide-prone ground
USGS maps about 46% of Wake County as ground susceptible to landslides. Its national inventory lists 11 documented landslides in the county.
This is a county-wide figure, not a rating for your spot. Steep slopes, road cuts and burned hillsides above you matter most in heavy rain.
From the USGS U.S. Landslide Inventory and Susceptibility data release (2024). Susceptible ground is terrain steep and high enough for landslides like those mapped in similar places. The inventory counts only slides someone mapped, and some states map few, so a low count doesn’t mean the ground is stable.
Source: USGS landslide susceptibility, county table (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Rain in past strong El Niño winters
October–March rainfall at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport weather station in past strong El Niño winters, compared with its 1991–2020 normal.
Oct–Mar rainfall in past strong El Niño winters, as % of the 1991–2020 normal — Raleigh-Durham International Airport
6 of the 7 strong El Niño winters on record at Raleigh-Durham International Airport were wetter than normal. They ranged from 68% of normal (1991-92) to 151% (1997-98) — a tendency, not a guarantee.
| Winter | ONI (DJF) | Oct–Mar total | % of normal | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-58 | 1.69 | 20.88 in | 103% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 1972-73 | 1.55 | 27.18 in | 134% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 1982-83 | 2.14 | 25.86 in | 128% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 1991-92 | 1.54 | 13.76 in | 68% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 1997-98 | 2.22 | 30.70 in | 151% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 2015-16 | 2.50 | 28.72 in | 142% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 2023-24 | 1.84 | 21.37 in | 105% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
Source: NOAA NCEI (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Local help
Help lines, alert sign-ups and official emergency pages for this county and state.
- 211NC 211 (opens in a new tab)
- State alertsReadyNC: Emergency alerts (opens in a new tab)
- County emergency officesNC DPS: County emergency management agencies (opens in a new tab)
- State agencyNorth Carolina Emergency Management (opens in a new tab)
- State recoveryNC Emergency Management: Disaster recovery (opens in a new tab)
- Federal disaster helpDisasterAssistance.gov (opens in a new tab)
- Open sheltersRed Cross open shelter finder (opens in a new tab)
- Road conditionsDriveNC (opens in a new tab)
Power and internet outages
Power
Main power companies in North Carolina. Your bill names yours; check your address to see which may serve it.
- Outage mapDuke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress (opens in a new tab)
- Outage mapDominion Energy North Carolina (opens in a new tab)
- Outage maps directoryNC Department of Public Safety: power outages (opens in a new tab)
- Outage maps directoryReadyNC: power outages (opens in a new tab)
Internet and phone
- Carrier statusAT&T outage map (opens in a new tab)
- Carrier statusSpectrum service status (opens in a new tab)
- Regional internet outagesCloudflare Radar: internet outages (opens in a new tab)
4 more we haven’t verified: search for them by name
- Carrier statusVerizon outage/status
- Carrier statusT-Mobile service status
- Carrier statusXfinity/Comcast support
- Carrier statusFrontier outage map
What about your street?
County numbers can’t tell you about your home. Check your address against the official flood, fire and landslide maps and live warnings.