Centre County, Pennsylvania: hazard risk
FEMA rates Centre County's overall risk Relatively Low (score 68.0 of 100, higher than 67% of rated U.S. counties); 2 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by winter weather, lightning. Its storm record holds 858 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 94.4 | $576K |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 89.3 | $1.1M |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | 87.7 | $41K |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 81.2 | $19M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | 53.8 | $570K |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 77.5 | $1.3M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 48.0 | $316K |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 42.8 | $893K |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | 39.8 | $48K |
| Avalanche | Very Low | 65.2 | $2K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 58.2 | $382K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 32.5 | $16K |
| Hail | Very Low | 26.0 | $90K |
| Cold Wave | Very Low | 22.3 | $244K |
| 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 | 441 | 2 | $2.4M | 51st of 67 | 1450th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 190 | 2 | $1.9M | 51st of 67 | 1454th of 3,077 |
| Hail | 83 | 0 | $26K | 42nd of 67 | 2474th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 41 | 0 | $140K | 59th of 67 | 1762nd of 3,080 |
| Floods | 37 | 0 | $8.4M | 64th of 67 | 2082nd of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 27 | 0 | – | 29th of 67 | 1262nd of 3,076 |
| Tornadoes | 15 | 0 | $72M | 51st of 67 | 2318th of 3,080 |
| Drought | 14 | 0 | – | 43rd of 67 | 2148th of 3,063 |
| Heat | 4 | 0 | – | 40th of 67 | 2113th of 3,076 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $554K | 31st of 67 | 1684th of 3,080 |
| Wildfires | 2 | 0 | – | 13th of 67 | 928th of 2,972 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 1 | 0 | – | 38th of 67 | 1048th 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 Centre County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.