Luzerne County, Pennsylvania: hazard risk
FEMA rates Luzerne County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 91.6 of 100, higher than 91% of rated U.S. counties); 5 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by winter weather, lightning, riverine flooding. Its storm record holds 738 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 | 97.2 | $844K |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 95.5 | $1.6M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 95.3 | $64M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | 94.7 | $9.1M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | 82.5 | $415K |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 91.3 | $2.8M |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 83.1 | $2.5M |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 81.6 | $3.5M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | 78.6 | $1.0M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 83.9 | $2.0M |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 77.2 | $10K |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 53.0 | $243K |
| Avalanche | Very Low | 57.9 | $1K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 53.7 | $48K |
| 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 | 341 | 0 | $4.4M | 45th of 67 | 1289th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 140 | 3 | $449M | 36th of 67 | 908th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 93 | 0 | $63K | 33rd of 67 | 2237th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 78 | 2 | $1.2M | 58th of 67 | 1680th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 22 | 0 | $2.8M | 53rd of 67 | 1633rd of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 20 | 0 | $14M | 28th of 67 | 1913th of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 17 | 2 | $248K | 12th of 67 | 388th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 11 | 0 | $7.5M | 43rd of 67 | 1593rd of 3,076 |
| Drought | 5 | 0 | $368K | 50th of 67 | 2173rd of 3,063 |
| Heat | 5 | 0 | – | 31st of 67 | 1820th of 3,076 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 1 | 0 | $76K | 5th of 67 | 329th 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 Luzerne County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.