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Morrisville, North Carolina (2014)Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Morrisville · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Morrisville faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Morrisville gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns, #120 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1998.

River and rain flooding 82%Hail 6%Hurricanes 5%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

less than 56%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#120 of 290 in North Carolina
Hazard risk
B#120 of 290
in North Carolina · lower than 56% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
82% of expected building damage
Flood claims
5
paid since 1998 · $95K
Flooded more than once
1
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
4
of 22 declared for Wake County
By hazard

What Morrisville faces

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

River and rain flooding

82%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hail

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Ice storms Strong wind Winter storms Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Morrisville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Morrisville, and Morrisville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hail at 6% (higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Morrisville sits
Morrisville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B #120 of 290 in North Carolina; lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Morrisville’s residents live in 10 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding82%Hail6%Hurricanes5%Everything else7%

The typical North Carolina town has lower expected damage than 51% of U.S. towns; within the state, Morrisville has less expected damage per building than 59% of North Carolina towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.7M a year in losses across Morrisville: $7.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 10 census tracts by where Morrisville’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Morrisville flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1998

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Morrisville, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 2 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 1 claim2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 1 claim2026: 0 claims199820062016
19982026
5
paid claims since 1998
$95K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$19K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Wake County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Morrisville

Disasters that paid out in Morrisville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Morrisville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2016Hurricane Matthew2 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$14K to the Town of Morrisville for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2003Hurricane Isabel1 households applied for aid$4K aid approved$7K to the Town of Morrisville for repairs
  3. 2002Severe Ice Storm$226K to the Town of Morrisville for repairs
  4. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$3K to the Town of Morrisville for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MorrisvilleWake County only

Wake County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Morrisville archive →
Next door

Morrisville and its neighbors

Morrisville has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Cary: hazard risk B−Durham: hazard risk B−CaryDurhamMorrisville
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
MorrisvilleBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding5
DurhamB−less damage than 53%river and rain flooding276
CaryB−less damage than 52%river and rain flooding160

Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.

Be ready

Get ready for what Morrisville faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, 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 ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
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.

Questions about natural hazards in Morrisville

Is Morrisville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Morrisville has lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #120 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and hail (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Morrisville flood?

Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Morrisville since 1998, $95K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Morrisville in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Wake County, 46% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Morrisville?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Morrisville’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Morrisville?

By FEMA money that reached Morrisville, Severe Ice Storm (2002): $226K to the Town of Morrisville for repairs.

Is Morrisville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Morrisville’s rate for it is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Morrisville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Morrisville’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.