Climate Risk Summary

Cape Charles, VA Risk Profile

The primary drivers of climate-related financial risk in Cape Charles, VA are Hurricane, Strong Wind, and Inland Flooding. This area also faces an unusually high intensity for Drought and Coastal Flooding compared to national averages.

City-Wide Aggregation

These scores represent the population-weighted average across all residential blocks in Cape Charles.

Primary Risks

Hurricane

$694,838

Expected Annual Loss for Cape Charles

96.5Score

Relatively High compared to US average

Cape Charles
Minimal Estimated LossMax Estimated Loss

Strong Wind

$204,521

Expected Annual Loss for Cape Charles

99.5Score

Very High compared to US average

Cape Charles (OUTLIER)
Minimal Estimated LossMax Estimated Loss

Inland Flooding

$160,303

Expected Annual Loss for Cape Charles

22.8Score

Relatively Low compared to US average

Cape Charles
Minimal Estimated LossMax Estimated Loss

City Boundary

Legend
Very Low
Low
Moderate
High
Very High
Extreme

Financial Risk Inventory

MAJOR DRIVER
Hurricane
$694,838
Score: 96.5
MAJOR DRIVER
Strong Wind
$204,521
Score: 99.5
MAJOR DRIVER
Inland Flooding
$160,303
Score: 22.8
UNUSUALLY HIGH
Drought
$89,759
Score: 97.1
UNUSUALLY HIGH
Coastal Flooding
$41,268
Score: 94.5
Cold Wave
$31,187
Score: 56.1
Tornado
$30,005
Score: 49.7
Heat Wave
$14,235
Score: 40.8
Earthquake
$12,636
Score: 46.8
Hail
$10,220
Score: 69.9
Lightning
$4,523
Score: 43.7
Ice Storm
$3,290
Score: 59.5
Wildfire
$865
Score: 72.1
Winter Weather
$436
Score: 30.6
Landslide
$0
Score: 35.8

Recommended investments to protect your property value and reduce insurance liability based on your local risk profile.

🌀High Investment

Hurricane Mitigation

Install permanent hurricane shutters or upgrade to impact-resistant windows.

Risk Score: 96.5
💨Low Investment

Strong Wind Mitigation

Trim large trees back from the roofline and reinforce roof-to-wall connectors (hurricane straps).

Risk Score: 99.5
🏠Low Investment

Drought Mitigation

General property maintenance and insurance review recommended.

Risk Score: 97.1
🏠Low Investment

Coastal Flooding Mitigation

General property maintenance and insurance review recommended.

Risk Score: 94.5
🏠Low Investment

Cold Wave Mitigation

General property maintenance and insurance review recommended.

Risk Score: 56.1
🧊Medium Investment

Hail Mitigation

Replace roof with Class 4 impact-resistant shingles to significantly lower insurance premiums.

Risk Score: 69.9
❄️Medium Investment

Ice Storm Mitigation

Install a 10kWh backup battery system to keep pipes from freezing during grid failure.

Risk Score: 59.5
🔥Low Investment

Wildfire Mitigation

Create a 5ft 'non-combustible' zone around your home using gravel or pavers instead of mulch.

Risk Score: 72.1

Sources and Methodology

Spatial Aggregation

Our "Atlas" risk scores are derived using a population-weighted spatial join. Because US Zip Codes and Census Tracts do not share perfectly aligned boundaries, a simple geographic average would be misleading. We utilize US Census Block Group population statistics to identify where residents actually live within a Zip Code. We then intersect these points with FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) hazard data to calculate a weighted exposure score.

Financial Projections (EAL)

Expected Annual Loss (EAL) estimates the average economic impact of natural hazards in dollars per year. This calculation incorporates three components: Exposure (the value of structures and agriculture), Annualized Frequency (historical probability), and Historic Loss Ratio (vulnerability of the area).

Primary Data Sources

  • FEMA National Risk IndexHazard frequency and loss data (v1.20.0)
  • U.S. Census BureauTIGER/Line 2025 Shapefiles & Decennial Population

Nearby Cities

Cats BridgeDeltavilleExmoreGwynnHampton

Zip Codes in Cape Charles

23310