Montgomery County, Pennsylvania: hazard risk
FEMA rates Montgomery County's overall risk Relatively High (score 96.8 of 100, higher than 96% of rated U.S. counties); 6 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by winter weather, strong wind, cold wave. Its storm record holds 1,973 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 | 99.8 | $3.5M |
| Strong Wind | Very High | 99.0 | $9.6M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | 98.4 | $30M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively High | 98.3 | $20M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 98.2 | $193M |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 95.6 | $15M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 94.2 | $14M |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 89.9 | $8.9M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | 81.0 | $530K |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 76.7 | $756K |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 68.3 | $6K |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 61.4 | $367K |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 42.7 | $234K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 37.3 | $26K |
| Coastal Flooding | 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 | 634 | 4 | $4.5M | 6th of 67 | 104th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 378 | 10 | $14M | 7th of 67 | 77th of 3,077 |
| Floods | 284 | 15 | $244M | 3rd of 67 | 46th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 141 | 4 | $19M | 6th of 67 | 88th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 132 | 0 | – | 5th of 67 | 827th of 3,080 |
| Heat | 117 | 31 | $13K | 3rd of 67 | 78th of 3,076 |
| Drought | 49 | 0 | – | 6th of 67 | 287th of 3,063 |
| Lightning | 48 | 0 | $4.5M | 5th of 67 | 52nd of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 46 | 6 | – | 7th of 67 | 291st of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 44 | 0 | – | 5th of 67 | 79th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 19 | 4 | $119M | 7th of 67 | 1181st of 3,080 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 4 | 0 | $131K | 5th of 67 | 644th of 1,849 |
| Wildfires | 3 | 0 | $1K | 9th of 67 | 431st of 2,972 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 1 | 0 | – | 4th of 67 | 176th of 2,080 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Montgomery County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.