Pennsylvania Natural Disaster Risk by County
Of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, 1 has a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is Philadelphia County (score 99.6 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $4.1 billion a year.
OpenFEMA lists 62 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Pennsylvania since 1955 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4815-PA, Tropical Storm Debby, declared 11 September 2024.
Live weather alerts for Pennsylvania Latest FEMA declarations All official warnings
Most exposed counties, hazard by hazard
Top 10 by FEMA hazard risk scoreHurricane 67 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lancaster County | Relatively High | $24 million |
| 2 | Philadelphia County | Relatively High | $12 million |
| 3 | Berks County | Relatively Moderate | $12 million |
| 4 | York County | Relatively Moderate | $15 million |
| 5 | Lehigh County | Relatively Moderate | $6.9 million |
| 6 | Montgomery County | Relatively Moderate | $8.9 million |
| 7 | Dauphin County | Relatively Moderate | $6.9 million |
| 8 | Chester County | Relatively Moderate | $9.6 million |
| 9 | Bucks County | Relatively Moderate | $7.0 million |
| 10 | Delaware County | Relatively Moderate | $5.9 million |
Tornado 67 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia County | Relatively High | $21 million |
| 2 | Montgomery County | Relatively High | $15 million |
| 3 | Delaware County | Relatively High | $9.4 million |
| 4 | Bucks County | Relatively High | $10 million |
| 5 | Allegheny County | Relatively High | $8.4 million |
| 6 | Berks County | Relatively High | $7.1 million |
| 7 | Chester County | Relatively Moderate | $9.8 million |
| 8 | Lehigh County | Relatively Moderate | $5.2 million |
| 9 | Luzerne County | Relatively Moderate | $3.5 million |
| 10 | Northampton County | Relatively Moderate | $4.4 million |
Inland flooding 67 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia County | Very High | $266 million |
| 2 | Allegheny County | Very High | $295 million |
| 3 | Montgomery County | Relatively High | $193 million |
| 4 | Bucks County | Relatively High | $141 million |
| 5 | Lancaster County | Relatively High | $111 million |
| 6 | Lehigh County | Relatively High | $68 million |
| 7 | Luzerne County | Relatively High | $64 million |
| 8 | Dauphin County | Relatively High | $75 million |
| 9 | Berks County | Relatively High | $69 million |
| 10 | Delaware County | Relatively High | $74 million |
Coastal flooding 4 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia County | Relatively High | $2.8 million |
| 2 | Bucks County | Relatively Moderate | $921,854 |
| 3 | Delaware County | Relatively Moderate | $730,166 |
| 4 | Erie County | Very Low | $8,468 |
Wildfire 67 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pike County | Relatively Low | $194,552 |
| 2 | Allegheny County | Very Low | $90,814 |
| 3 | Schuylkill County | Very Low | $56,404 |
| 4 | Bucks County | Very Low | $77,847 |
| 5 | Westmoreland County | Very Low | $63,930 |
| 6 | Luzerne County | Very Low | $48,181 |
| 7 | Monroe County | Very Low | $52,849 |
| 8 | Franklin County | Very Low | $53,662 |
| 9 | Cumberland County | Very Low | $47,358 |
| 10 | Washington County | Very Low | $42,561 |
Earthquake 67 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia County | Relatively High | $42 million |
| 2 | Delaware County | Relatively Moderate | $13 million |
| 3 | Montgomery County | Relatively Moderate | $14 million |
| 4 | Bucks County | Relatively Moderate | $13 million |
| 5 | Lancaster County | Relatively Moderate | $9.6 million |
| 6 | Berks County | Relatively Moderate | $6.1 million |
| 7 | Chester County | Relatively Moderate | $8.5 million |
| 8 | Lehigh County | Relatively Low | $4.5 million |
| 9 | York County | Relatively Low | $4.7 million |
| 10 | Allegheny County | Relatively Low | $4.0 million |
Every Pennsylvania county, highest overall risk first
67| # | County | Overall risk | Score | Loss a year | Top hazard | Declarations | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia County | Very High | 99.6 | $667 million | Heat wave | 23 | 10 |
| 2 | Allegheny County | Relatively High | 98.1 | $354 million | Inland flooding | 16 | 28 |
| 3 | Montgomery County | Relatively High | 96.8 | $297 million | Winter weather | 27 | 20 |
| 4 | Lancaster County | Relatively High | 95.0 | $170 million | Winter weather | 20 | 39 |
| 5 | Bucks County | Relatively High | 94.8 | $203 million | Ice storm | 25 | 23 |
| 6 | Lehigh County | Relatively Moderate | 93.9 | $128 million | Cold wave | 15 | 16 |
| 7 | Delaware County | Relatively Moderate | 92.9 | $135 million | Winter weather | 22 | 6 |
| 8 | Berks County | Relatively Moderate | 92.7 | $120 million | Winter weather | 21 | 29 |
| 9 | Chester County | Relatively Moderate | 91.9 | $173 million | Drought | 24 | 31 |
| 10 | Luzerne County | Relatively Moderate | 91.6 | $88 million | Winter weather | 21 | 20 |
| 11 | Dauphin County | Relatively Moderate | 91.1 | $100 million | Winter weather | 20 | 21 |
| 12 | York County | Relatively Moderate | 90.4 | $106 million | Winter weather | 19 | 34 |
| 13 | Northampton County | Relatively Moderate | 90.0 | $90 million | Winter weather | 22 | 13 |
| 14 | Lackawanna County | Relatively Moderate | 89.9 | $72 million | Inland flooding | 20 | 12 |
| 15 | Westmoreland County | Relatively Moderate | 87.8 | $76 million | Lightning | 18 | 50 |
| 16 | Cumberland County | Relatively Moderate | 86.2 | $69 million | Winter weather | 17 | 17 |
| 17 | Schuylkill County | Relatively Moderate | 85.3 | $49 million | Winter weather | 22 | 16 |
| 18 | Monroe County | Relatively Moderate | 85.1 | $57 million | Lightning | 19 | 15 |
| 19 | Erie County | Relatively Moderate | 84.1 | $48 million | Lightning | 9 | 21 |
| 20 | Washington County | Relatively Moderate | 83.1 | $57 million | Landslide | 12 | 21 |
| 21 | Fayette County | Relatively Moderate | 82.2 | $37 million | Inland flooding | 16 | 17 |
| 22 | Lebanon County | Relatively Low | 79.9 | $43 million | Winter weather | 17 | 19 |
| 23 | Lycoming County | Relatively Low | 79.6 | $41 million | Inland flooding | 19 | 29 |
| 24 | Butler County | Relatively Low | 79.3 | $48 million | Lightning | 9 | 28 |
| 25 | Northumberland County | Relatively Low | 79.2 | $37 million | Winter weather | 17 | 14 |
| 26 | Mercer County | Relatively Low | 77.7 | $34 million | Inland flooding | 11 | 22 |
| 27 | Blair County | Relatively Low | 77.7 | $34 million | Winter weather | 16 | 4 |
| 28 | Franklin County | Relatively Low | 76.4 | $38 million | Hurricane | 18 | 15 |
| 29 | Cambria County | Relatively Low | 76.4 | $32 million | Inland flooding | 16 | 22 |
| 30 | Crawford County | Relatively Low | 76.0 | $27 million | Winter weather | 13 | 37 |
| 31 | Beaver County | Relatively Low | 75.3 | $35 million | Inland flooding | 13 | 22 |
| 32 | Bradford County | Relatively Low | 73.1 | $32 million | Lightning | 19 | 21 |
| 33 | Armstrong County | Relatively Low | 69.3 | $28 million | Landslide | 15 | 11 |
| 34 | Mifflin County | Relatively Low | 69.3 | $18 million | Inland flooding | 15 | 5 |
| 35 | Bedford County | Relatively Low | 68.2 | $24 million | Landslide | 19 | 13 |
| 36 | Centre County | Relatively Low | 68.0 | $25 million | Winter weather | 13 | 14 |
| 37 | Adams County | Relatively Low | 67.5 | $27 million | Drought | 18 | 16 |
| 38 | Clearfield County | Relatively Low | 67.1 | $22 million | Winter weather | 15 | 8 |
| 39 | Lawrence County | Relatively Low | 66.1 | $25 million | Inland flooding | 10 | 11 |
| 40 | Pike County | Relatively Low | 65.9 | $24 million | Inland flooding | 16 | 8 |
| 41 | Warren County | Relatively Low | 65.6 | $23 million | Inland flooding | 8 | 18 |
| 42 | Somerset County | Relatively Low | 64.2 | $22 million | Landslide | 19 | 15 |
| 43 | Indiana County | Relatively Low | 63.7 | $19 million | Landslide | 16 | 20 |
| 44 | Columbia County | Relatively Low | 62.1 | $24 million | Winter weather | 18 | 9 |
| 45 | Tioga County | Relatively Low | 59.8 | $19 million | Landslide | 18 | 7 |
| 46 | Carbon County | Relatively Low | 59.4 | $22 million | Lightning | 16 | 4 |
| 47 | Jefferson County | Relatively Low | 57.9 | $14 million | Lightning | 12 | 16 |
| 48 | Wayne County | Relatively Low | 56.3 | $17 million | Hurricane | 23 | 10 |
| 49 | Venango County | Relatively Low | 55.6 | $16 million | Lightning | 13 | 12 |
| 50 | Union County | Relatively Low | 55.2 | $14 million | Strong wind | 16 | 12 |
| 51 | Greene County | Relatively Low | 55.1 | $17 million | Landslide | 13 | 10 |
| 52 | Snyder County | Relatively Low | 54.3 | $15 million | Winter weather | 15 | 10 |
| 53 | McKean County | Relatively Low | 53.8 | $15 million | Winter weather | 11 | 5 |
| 54 | Susquehanna County | Relatively Low | 53.6 | $18 million | Landslide | 22 | 13 |
| 55 | Perry County | Relatively Low | 53.1 | $18 million | Landslide | 18 | 6 |
| 56 | Clinton County | Relatively Low | 51.8 | $14 million | Strong wind | 13 | 10 |
| 57 | Huntingdon County | Relatively Low | 50.3 | $16 million | Strong wind | 16 | 10 |
| 58 | Elk County | Relatively Low | 45.2 | $15 million | Lightning | 8 | 16 |
| 59 | Wyoming County | Relatively Low | 44.8 | $14 million | Landslide | 25 | 8 |
| 60 | Juniata County | Very Low | 38.8 | $8.8 million | Landslide | 18 | 7 |
| 61 | Clarion County | Very Low | 30.0 | $8.7 million | Lightning | 12 | 16 |
| 62 | Potter County | Very Low | 28.1 | $7.7 million | Landslide | 12 | 12 |
| 63 | Forest County | Very Low | 19.9 | $5.0 million | Lightning | 10 | 9 |
| 64 | Montour County | Very Low | 14.7 | $5.5 million | Hurricane | 15 | 4 |
| 65 | Cameron County | Very Low | 12.6 | $4.2 million | Landslide | 9 | 2 |
| 66 | Sullivan County | Very Low | 10.7 | $4.1 million | Avalanche | 23 | 13 |
| 67 | Fulton County | Very Low | 7.8 | $4.1 million | Landslide | 15 | 6 |
Score: FEMA's national percentile (higher = more risk). Declarations: federal declarations that named the county since 1953, not counting COVID-19. Tornadoes: NOAA SPC tornadoes that touched the county, 1950–2025.
Latest federal declarations in Pennsylvania
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What this page shows, and what it misses
FEMA's National Risk Index compares every US county with every other for 18 natural hazards, combining expected losses with social vulnerability and community resilience. It is a planning-level estimate for nationwide comparison, not a flood-zone map and not the risk to any one property — for flood zones use FEMA's Flood Map Service Center ↗. Federal declarations exclude state declarations and SBA or USDA designations.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Risk Index Dataset: National Risk Index Counties - v1.20.0 (December 2025). Retrieved from https://services.arcgis.com/XG15cJAlne2vxtgt/ArcGIS/rest/services/National_Risk_Index_Counties/FeatureServer/0/query on November 2, 2026, 1:20 PM EST. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), OpenFEMA Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2, retrieved from https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries on November 2, 2026, 1:21 PM EST. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Tornado records: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center, Severe Weather Database, tornadoes 1950–2025 (https://www.spc.noaa.gov/wcm/data/1950-2025_actual_tornadoes.csv, downloaded 2 November 2026). Public domain; not endorsed by NOAA. Compiled by Global Incident Tracker.
Questions about Pennsylvania
Which county in Pennsylvania has the highest natural disaster risk?
Of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, 1 has a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is Philadelphia County (score 99.6 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $4.1 billion a year.
Which Pennsylvania counties are most at risk from tornadoes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index tornado risk score: Philadelphia County, Montgomery County, Delaware County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
Which Pennsylvania counties are most at risk from hurricanes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index hurricane risk score: Lancaster County, Philadelphia County, Berks County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
How many FEMA disaster declarations has Pennsylvania had?
OpenFEMA lists 62 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Pennsylvania since 1955 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4815-PA, Tropical Storm Debby, declared 11 September 2024.