“Where’s the safest place to live in the U.S., weather-wise?” – Courtney

There have been several lists put together in recent years to shed light on which areas are more disaster prone and at risk in a future of climate change.

In early 2025, the data analytics firm Cotality found Detroit the safest metro area from weather and climate disasters. Their most likely weather hazard was severe thunderstorms, if you can tolerate winter weather.

The U.S. climate vulnerability index found areas along the West Coast, northern Great Lakes, upstate New York and northern New England least vulnerable to climate impacts, though that didn’t appear to take into account earthquake risk.

But even these safer areas may be changing.

Wildfires this summer destroyed over 300 homes near Spokane, Washington, ranked tenth safest in Cotality’s safe metro area list.

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And hazardous wildfire smoke has become a more frequent problem in recent summers from the Pacific Northwest to the Great Lakes and Northeast.

In general, the South is most prone to a potpourri of hazardous weather from hurricanes and tornadoes to flash floods and extreme heat.

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.