Sign inJoin
Natural hazards in Greensboro · FEMA

Greensboro is calmer than 79% of U.S. communities

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Greensboro comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

21Low riskLowerHigherExpected storm and flood damage, vs. U.S. communities
Overall risk
Low
higher than 21% of U.S. places
Main hazard
Inland flooding
46% of expected damage
Flood claims
0
none on record
Disasters paid out here
4
of 12 declared for Greene County

What stands out about Greensboro’s weather risks

Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · Expected damage

How exposed is Greensboro?

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 21% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Where Greensboro sits
Greensboro
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Calmer than 535 of the 674 Georgia towns we cover.

Greensboro is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

What drives the damage
Inland flooding46%Tornadoes12%Hurricanes11%Earthquakes8%Cold waves6%Heat waves5%Everything else12%
Flood insurance claims

Does Greensboro flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Greensboro. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Greensboro isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Greene County.
By hazard

What Greensboro faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

46%of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 20% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Tornadoes

12%of expected damage
Above average · higher than 67% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 75 years in the area

Hurricanes

11%of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 13 years in the area

Earthquakes

8%of expected damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places

Cold waves

6%of expected damage
Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Heat waves

5%of expected damage
Below average · higher than 49% of U.S. places
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area
Lower here
🧊 Hail🧊 Ice storms❄️ Winter weather🔥 Wildfire⛰️ Landslides💨 Strong wind⚡ Lightning
Not a risk here
Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Storms remembered

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Greensboro

Disasters that paid out in Greensboro itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Greensboro) and its biggest flood years.

  1. 2024Hurricane Helene$79K to the City of Greensboro for repairs
  2. 2017Hurricane Irma1 household applied for aid$31K to the City of Greensboro for repairs
  3. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Associated Flooding4 households applied for aid
  4. 2000Severe Winter Storm$8K to the City of Greensboro for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in GreensboroGreene County only

Greene County has had 12 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.

Were you here?

Old photos of Greensboro after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Greensboro archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Greensboro actually faces

A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Storm season

Most disasters here begin in July–September

The month each of Greene County’s 12 declared disasters began, since 1953.

2J
1F
M
1A
M
J
1J
1A
3S
1O
1N
1D
HurricanesSevere stormsWinter stormsIce stormsTornadoesDroughts
How to read this page

What these numbers can and can’t tell you

  • An average, not a forecast. FEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
  • Compared by rate. “Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
  • Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Greensboro’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Greensboro.
  • It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Greensboro.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Is Greensboro ready for the next big storm?

Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.

Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.

Post to Greensboro

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in

Add to the handbook

Sign in to add to Greensboro’s handbook. Every fact you add earns karma once neighbors confirm it.