Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania: hazard risk
FEMA rates Lackawanna County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 89.9 of 100, higher than 89% of rated U.S. counties); 4 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by riverine flooding, winter weather, lightning. Its storm record holds 582 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 | Relatively High | 94.1 | $57M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 92.4 | $427K |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 90.6 | $1.1M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | 89.6 | $5.9M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 83.6 | $1.6M |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 82.0 | $2.2M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | 68.6 | $177K |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 68.1 | $2.1M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | 62.0 | $671K |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 75.0 | $999K |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 73.1 | $7K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 41.4 | $25K |
| Avalanche | Very Low | 37.0 | $157 |
| Hail | Very Low | 27.2 | $91K |
| 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 | 250 | 0 | $1.9M | 29th of 67 | 639th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 99 | 2 | $174M | 18th of 67 | 562nd of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 87 | 0 | $1.0M | 22nd of 67 | 747th of 3,077 |
| Hail | 74 | 0 | $41K | 17th of 67 | 1642nd of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 21 | 0 | $2.5M | 26th of 67 | 961st of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 16 | 1 | $270K | 11th of 67 | 203rd of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 12 | 0 | $1.3M | 30th of 67 | 1948th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 11 | 0 | $7.5M | 22nd of 67 | 997th of 3,076 |
| Drought | 5 | 0 | $368K | 28th of 67 | 1974th of 3,063 |
| Heat | 4 | 0 | – | 26th of 67 | 1561st 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 Lackawanna County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.