Carbon County, Pennsylvania: hazard risk
FEMA rates Carbon County's overall risk Relatively Low (score 59.4 of 100, higher than 59% of rated U.S. counties); 1 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by lightning. Its storm record holds 1,115 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 | 87.8 | $1.1M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 82.1 | $1.7M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | 78.7 | $202K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | 78.5 | $1.3M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | 76.7 | $3.1M |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 73.1 | $807K |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 71.0 | $7K |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | 67.5 | $12M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | 50.5 | $90K |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 37.9 | $799K |
| Avalanche | Very Low | 58.5 | $1K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 46.6 | $238K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 41.3 | $30K |
| Hail | Very Low | 15.5 | $54K |
| 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 455 | 6 | $11M | 2nd of 67 | 9th of 3,077 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 188 | 0 | $14K | 25th of 67 | 554th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 134 | 1 | $3.2M | 3rd of 67 | 47th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 60 | 2 | $8.7M | 16th of 67 | 417th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 48 | 0 | – | 3rd of 67 | 120th of 3,076 |
| Hail | 44 | 0 | $1.5M | 21st of 67 | 1783rd of 3,080 |
| Drought | 40 | 0 | – | 5th of 67 | 268th of 3,063 |
| Heavy rain | 36 | 0 | – | 6th of 67 | 82nd of 3,080 |
| Heat | 35 | 2 | – | 8th of 67 | 312th of 3,076 |
| Lightning | 18 | 1 | $71K | 10th of 67 | 136th of 3,080 |
| Wildfires | 15 | 0 | $156K | 2nd of 67 | 48th of 2,972 |
| Tornadoes | 4 | 0 | $191K | 57th of 67 | 2397th of 3,080 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 1 | 0 | – | 12th of 67 | 864th of 1,849 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Carbon County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.