Delaware County, Pennsylvania: hazard risk
FEMA rates Delaware County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 92.9 of 100, higher than 92% of rated U.S. counties); 8 of its 16 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by winter weather, strong wind, heat wave. Its storm record holds 1,367 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 | Very High | 99.2 | $2.1M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | 97.7 | $5.2M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively High | 97.6 | $13M |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 95.6 | $2.1M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 94.4 | $74M |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 92.5 | $9.4M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | 91.5 | $8.5M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | 87.0 | $750K |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 94.5 | $13M |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 88.1 | $5.9M |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 63.6 | $730K |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 54.2 | $209K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 59.4 | $3K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 27.7 | $13K |
| Hail | Very Low | 13.3 | $46K |
| Avalanche | Very Low | 11.4 | $11 |
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 | 338 | 2 | $10M | 2nd of 67 | 5th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 258 | 1 | $87M | 2nd of 67 | 5th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 214 | 5 | $7.7M | 3rd of 67 | 11th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 140 | 1 | $12M | 2nd of 67 | 9th of 3,080 |
| Heat | 103 | 12 | – | 2nd of 67 | 3rd of 3,076 |
| Hail | 63 | 0 | – | 4th of 67 | 480th of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 45 | 0 | – | 2nd of 67 | 10th of 3,080 |
| Drought | 44 | 0 | – | 2nd of 67 | 21st of 3,063 |
| Lightning | 39 | 1 | $1.2M | 1st of 67 | 7th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 30 | 3 | – | 2nd of 67 | 63rd of 3,076 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 25 | 0 | – | 2nd of 67 | 13th of 2,080 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 20 | 0 | $656K | 2nd of 67 | 19th of 1,849 |
| Tornadoes | 5 | 0 | $11M | 23rd of 67 | 1699th of 3,080 |
| Wildfires | 3 | 0 | $13K | 5th of 67 | 176th of 2,972 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Delaware County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.