Butler County, Pennsylvania: hazard risk
FEMA rates Butler County's overall risk Relatively Low (score 79.3 of 100, higher than 79% of rated U.S. counties); 1 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by lightning. Its storm record holds 1,086 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively High | 90.0 | $1.4M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 89.0 | $41M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | 79.6 | $1.5M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | 67.3 | $139K |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 83.9 | $31K |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 59.8 | $2.1M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | 52.8 | $113K |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 41.1 | $285K |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 57.0 | $175K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 52.1 | $359K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 39.0 | $28K |
| Hail | Very Low | 26.2 | $116K |
| Cold Wave | Very Low | 15.5 | $187K |
| 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 | 583 | 1 | $18M | 18th of 67 | 468th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 201 | 0 | $1.1M | 12th of 67 | 1389th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 115 | 0 | $21M | 29th of 67 | 790th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 110 | 2 | $23K | 42nd of 67 | 1126th of 3,077 |
| Tornadoes | 31 | 6 | $76M | 17th of 67 | 1530th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 24 | 0 | $7.3M | 46th of 67 | 1437th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 9 | 0 | – | 49th of 67 | 1659th of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 5 | 0 | $1K | 17th of 67 | 1192nd of 3,080 |
| Drought | 2 | 0 | – | 65th of 67 | 2359th of 3,063 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $19K | 32nd of 67 | 1732nd of 3,080 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 1 | 0 | – | 3rd of 67 | 316th of 2,278 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Butler County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.