North Carolina

Top Climate Change Risks: Heat, Precipitation, Drought

Use this page to learn how climate change is affecting people in North Carolina.

Then, use our tool to check your address for local and property-specific heat, precipitation, drought, fire, and flood risk.

Climate Change Risk Ratings for North Carolina

People in North Carolina will experience especially increased risks from heat, precipitation, and drought due to climate change over the next 30 years. These risks, through 2050 and beyond, may change depending on how much we reduce emissions in the near future.

ClimateCheck Risk Ratings measure the risk posed by a hazard on a 1-100 scale, using historical conditions and projected scenarios through 2050. Climate change has complex, interacting local and large-scale effects that impact everyone on Earth, and a low risk rating does not mean no exposure to impacts from that hazard. See how we measure risk.

Median Climate Change Risk Ratings for North Carolina

Climate Risks for Cities in North Carolina

Of these top cities in North Carolina, the city with the highest overall risk is Charlotte. The city with the lowest overall risk is Greenville.

  • For heat, Asheville has the lowest risk and Charlotte has the highest risk.
  • For precipitation, Wilmington has the lowest risk and Asheville has the highest risk.
  • For drought, Greenville has the lowest risk and Concord has the highest risk.
  • For fire, Charlotte has the lowest risk and Wilmington has the highest risk.
  • For flood, Greenville has the lowest risk and Asheville has the highest risk.
Climate Change Risk Ratings for Cities in North Carolina

Comparing North Carolina and Other States

Among the lower 48 states, North Carolina's highest ranking is #10 for drought risk.

Nevada and California rank highest for drought risk Mississippi and Vermont rank lowest for drought risk

North Carolina ranks #29 for fire risk.
Highest fire risk: Oklahoma and Wyoming
Lowest fire risk: Maine and Vermont
See our fire ranking methodology.

North Carolina ranks #9 for heat risk.
Highest heat risk: Louisiana and Mississippi
Lowest heat risk: California and Oregon


North Carolina ranks #13 for storm risk.
Highest storm risk: Rhode Island and New York
Lowest storm risk: Nevada and Arizona


North Carolina ranks #35 for flood risk.
Highest flood risk: Arizona and West Virginia
Lowest flood risk: Utah and Nevada

North Carolina Rankings for Climate Change Risk

Heat Risk in North Carolina with Climate Change

An extremely hot day in North Carolina depends on your location: 95ºF is extremely hot for Fayetteville, while 89ºF is considered extremely hot for Asheville. This is based on historical maximum temperatures on the top 2% of days in an average year.

Hot Day Temperatures for Cities in North Carolina

The frequency of very hot days is increasing. On average, someone in North Carolina will experience about 41 extremely hot days in 2050.

Number of Hot Days with Climate Change for North Carolina

Precipitation Risk in North Carolina with Climate Change

To measure precipitation risk, we look at the amount of precipitation that falls in 48-hour periods exceeding a location-specific threshold, and how many times this happens per year. A precipitation threshold is based on the top 1% of rainiest days per year for a location.

Historically, Asheville experienced an average of 1.6 inches of rain about 10 times per year. In 2050, it is projected to experience an average of 1.5 inches of rain about 13 times per year.

Historically, Wilmington experienced an average of 2.2 inches of rain about 10 times per year. In 2050, it is projected to experience an average of 2.0 inches of rain about 12 times per year.

Extreme Precipitation Events and Amounts for North Carolina

Drought Risk in North Carolina with Climate Change

Drought risk is based on water stress, which is a projection of how much of the water supply will be taken up by human demand.

In the figure, the blue bars represent the available water every 10 years from 2020-2060, and the orange bars represent demand. The drought risk rating is based on the ratio of supply to demand and the projected change in this ratio. Lower supply and higher demand correspond to a higher score.

Drought Risk and Water Supply and Demand with Climate Change for North Carolina

Flood Risk in North Carolina with Climate Change

Coastal flood hazards include storm surge, when strong winds push water to shore, and rising sea levels due to climate change. The rate of sea level rise varies along the coast. Rising seas contribute to greater instances and spread of high-tide flooding, when high tides inundate land, and greater potential storm surge depths.

Coastal Flood Risk with Climate Change for North Carolina

How can we prevent climate change and protect our homes and communities?

Mitigating climate change—by eliminating our emissions into the atmosphere and reducing our strain on the environment—and adapting to our changing planet are both vital to our well-being.

Understand Risks

Check your address and get a free report describing risks to your property and in your area.

Your level of risk depends on your city's capacity to adapt. Look up information on your city's characteristics and how they relate to preparedness for climate change: ND-GAIN Urban Adaptation Assessment.

Protect Homes and Communities

Check our free report for tips on protecting your home from hazards.

Green infrastructure is a category of nature-based solutions to increasing precipitation. Find resources for individuals and municipalities through the EPA's Soak Up the Rain initiative.

Planting trees and vegetation helps reduce extreme heat in urban environments. Cool Pavements can also help urban heat islands. Search the Heat Island Community Actions Database to see what some municipalities have been doing to reduce extreme heat risk.

Read more about building resilience for communities: U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit.

Use the Common Cause tool to find your representatives—federal to local—how to contact them, and information about political contributions and bills they have introduced.

Find Balance



Change is necessary–and possible–across the globe and in every part of our society. Learn more with Project Drawdown's introduction to climate solutions.

Estimate your home's carbon footprint with the CoolClimate Calculator. Or, estimate the carbon footprint of your business.