Monroe County, Pennsylvania: hazard risk
FEMA rates Monroe County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 85.1 of 100, higher than 85% of rated U.S. counties); 3 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by lightning, cold wave, winter weather. Its storm record holds 1,331 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 | Very High | 96.8 | $2.4M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | 95.1 | $12M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 93.2 | $562K |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 88.1 | $33M |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 82.4 | $2.8M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | 80.2 | $1.3M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | 75.3 | $301K |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 65.9 | $2.3M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 74.7 | $1.2M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 73.2 | $1.0M |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 70.7 | $7K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 51.6 | $53K |
| Avalanche | Very Low | 29.8 | $109 |
| Hail | Very Low | 16.7 | $59K |
| 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 | 485 | 5 | $19M | 6th of 67 | 37th of 3,077 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 316 | 0 | $848K | 40th of 67 | 913th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 143 | 0 | $4.4M | 7th of 67 | 106th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 84 | 2 | $156M | 27th of 67 | 699th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 53 | 0 | – | 29th of 67 | 2141st of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 49 | 1 | – | 6th of 67 | 247th of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 43 | 0 | – | 9th of 67 | 156th of 3,080 |
| Drought | 41 | 0 | – | 8th of 67 | 650th of 3,063 |
| Heat | 35 | 0 | – | 10th of 67 | 466th of 3,076 |
| Lightning | 31 | 3 | $303K | 9th of 67 | 127th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 14 | 0 | $15M | 34th of 67 | 2043rd of 3,080 |
| Wildfires | 11 | 0 | $2K | 4th of 67 | 159th of 2,972 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 1 | 1 | $230K | 26th of 67 | 959th 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 Monroe County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.