Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania: hazard risk
FEMA rates Philadelphia County's overall risk Very High (score 99.6 of 100, higher than 99% of rated U.S. counties); 12 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by heat wave, cold wave, winter weather. Its storm record holds 1,397 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat Wave | Very High | 100.0 | $256M |
| Cold Wave | Very High | 99.8 | $57M |
| Winter Weather | Very High | 99.8 | $1.9M |
| Riverine Flooding | Very High | 99.6 | $266M |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 98.7 | $21M |
| Earthquake | Relatively High | 98.3 | $42M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | 97.9 | $3.5M |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 96.2 | $1.5M |
| Hail | Relatively High | 95.1 | $2.1M |
| Hurricane | Relatively High | 94.3 | $12M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | 94.2 | $989K |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively High | 85.4 | $2.8M |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 76.3 | $7K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 28.7 | $9K |
| Drought | Very Low | 21.7 | $4K |
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 | 339 | 2 | $11M | 1st of 67 | 1st of 3,080 |
| Floods | 287 | 7 | $158M | 1st of 67 | 1st of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 209 | 14 | $12M | 1st of 67 | 4th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 150 | 5 | $6.8M | 1st of 67 | 4th of 3,080 |
| Heat | 137 | 346 | $33K | 1st of 67 | 1st of 3,076 |
| Drought | 46 | 0 | – | 1st of 67 | 5th of 3,063 |
| Hail | 45 | 0 | – | 1st of 67 | 206th of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 41 | 0 | – | 1st of 67 | 5th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 33 | 18 | $311K | 1st of 67 | 26th of 3,076 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 25 | 0 | – | 1st of 67 | 7th of 2,080 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 20 | 0 | $13K | 1st of 67 | 7th of 1,849 |
| Tornadoes | 12 | 0 | $8.9M | 1st of 67 | 141st of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 11 | 0 | $159K | 4th of 67 | 38th of 3,080 |
| Wildfires | 1 | 0 | – | 7th of 67 | 370th 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 Philadelphia County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.