Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: hazard risk
FEMA rates Allegheny County's overall risk Relatively High (score 98.1 of 100, higher than 98% of rated U.S. counties); 7 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by riverine flooding, cold wave, ice storm. Its storm record holds 2,594 events since 1950.
FEMA's rating for each hazard
These are FEMA's county-wide model ratings and this county's storm record. They are not an assessment of any property, address or building, and not insurance advice: a property's risk depends on its own elevation, construction and location.
FEMA gives each hazard its own rating, and a rating does not follow the score from one hazard to the next: a hazard with a higher score can carry a lower rating than another. The table sorts by FEMA's rating, then by score (0 to 100, the county against every other county for that hazard).
| Hazard | Risk rating | Score | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverine Flooding | Very High | 99.2 | $295M |
| Cold Wave | Very High | 98.8 | $32M |
| Ice Storm | Very High | 96.1 | $2.0M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | 96.3 | $3.8M |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 93.7 | $1.7M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 93.3 | $586K |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 91.2 | $8.4M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 94.3 | $5.4M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 87.9 | $4.0M |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 87.2 | $42K |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 75.9 | $1.2M |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 60.4 | $91K |
| Hail | Very Low | 31.3 | $135K |
| Avalanche | Very Low | 28.1 | $94 |
| Drought | No Rating | 0.0 | $0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. A model of future loss, not a count of past events. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
What the record holds
| Hazard | Records | Deaths | Damage | Rank in state | Rank in U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 1,258 | 2 | $111M | 9th of 67 | 131st of 3,080 |
| Floods | 626 | 7 | $140M | 4th of 67 | 65th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 445 | 0 | $11K | 2nd of 67 | 298th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 120 | 2 | $11K | 39th of 67 | 1064th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 56 | 0 | $1.8M | 13th of 67 | 585th of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 31 | 0 | – | 11th of 67 | 413th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 27 | 2 | $1.2B | 18th of 67 | 1547th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 15 | 0 | – | 27th of 67 | 1172nd of 3,076 |
| Lightning | 10 | 0 | $169K | 13th of 67 | 579th of 3,080 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 3 | 0 | $20K | 1st of 67 | 227th of 2,278 |
| Drought | 2 | 0 | – | 63rd of 67 | 2345th of 3,063 |
| Heat | 1 | 1 | – | 42nd of 67 | 2272nd of 3,076 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Allegheny County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.