States › Pennsylvania › Berks County

Berks County, Pennsylvania

Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.

FIPS 42011 · 429,342 residents (2021) · 856 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 142Tornado · 30Flood · 238Wind · 1,011Winter · 297

Berks County within Pennsylvania. Dots: HailTornadoFloodWind event locations in the kept record. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

Between 1950 and 2026, NCEI recorded 2,021 storm events in Berks County, Pennsylvania, led by damaging wind.

That is 236.0 events per 100 square miles, above the Pennsylvania figure of 121.6, and 47.1 per 10,000 residents against 42.0 statewide.

108 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 18 deaths and 195 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $68M and crop damage at $14M.

FEMA has designated the county in 23 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Covid-19 Pandemic (major disaster, 30 Mar 2020).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 1,313 claims since 1978, of which 1,042 were paid, totalling $24M (about $23K per paid claim). FEMA counts 684 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Moderate" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Moderate" ($120M a year across 18 hazards).

29 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 0 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

108events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

2,021events since 195018 deaths, 195 injuries recorded

23disaster declarationslast 30 Mar 2020

1,313NFIP flood claims$24M paid

Compared with Pennsylvania and the United States

Measure	Berks County	Pennsylvania	US
Recorded events since 1950	2,021	54,427	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	236.0	121.6	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	47.1	42.0	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	108	2,028	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	18	901	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$68M	$5.3B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	3.1	5.9	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$23K	$23K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	44.9	25.9	16.1

County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.

Events by decade

Hail: 1Tornado: 2

Hail: 1Tornado: 2Wind: 8

Hail: 2Tornado: 6Wind: 19

Hail: 10Tornado: 5Wind: 32

Hail: 14Tornado: 5Flood: 16Wind: 94Winter: 30Heat: 21Cold: 4Drought: 18Lightning: 14Fog: 4Other: 20

Hail: 33Tornado: 1Flood: 59Wind: 178Winter: 116Tropical: 1Heat: 26Cold: 19Drought: 23Wildfire: 8Lightning: 26Fog: 8Other: 14

Hail: 54Tornado: 3Flood: 109Wind: 282Winter: 109Tropical: 1Heat: 18Cold: 11Drought: 3Wildfire: 2Lightning: 8Fog: 5Other: 16

Hail: 27Tornado: 6Flood: 54Wind: 398Winter: 42Heat: 5Cold: 1Lightning: 1Fog: 23Other: 3

31950s111960s271970s471980s2401990s5122000s6212010s5602020s

Recorded events in Berks County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindWinterTropicalHeatColdDroughtWildfireLightningFogOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 1,374 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 544 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.

Events by type

Wind1,011

Winter297

Flood238

Hail142

Heat70

Other53

Lightning49

Drought44

Fog40

Cold35

Tornado30

Wildfire10

Tropical2

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	1,011	4	3.8%	detail
■ Winter	297	9	3.2%	detail
■ Flood	238	2	3.4%	detail
■ Hail	142	—	2.6%	detail
■ Heat	70	1	6.7%
■ Other	53	—	7.6%
■ Lightning	49	1	8.8%
■ Drought	44	—	5.5%
■ Fog	40	—	8.3%
■ Cold	35	1	3.2%
■ Tornado	30	—	2.7%	detail
■ Wildfire	10	—	11.8%
■ Tropical	2	—	2.1%

Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.

Largest recorded events

Date	Event type	Group	Magnitude	Property damage	Crop damage	Deaths	Injuries	Geography
29 Oct 2012	High Wind	Wind	64 mph	$2.5M	—	2	—	Forecast zone
11 Jul 2019	Flash Flood	Flood	—	—	—	2	—	County
26 Feb 2009	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	1	12	Forecast zone
10 Dec 2016	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	1	8	Forecast zone
12 Feb 2008	Winter Storm	Winter	—	$50K	—	1	1	Forecast zone
10 Feb 2008	Strong Wind	Wind	49 mph	$50K	—	1	1	Forecast zone
13 Dec 2007	Winter Storm	Winter	—	—	—	1	1	Forecast zone
8 Dec 2013	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	1	1	Forecast zone
25 May 1998	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	—	County
12 Dec 2000	High Wind	Wind	59 mph	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
1 Aug 2006	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
19 Dec 2008	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
5 Dec 2008	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
29 Oct 2011	Heavy Snow	Winter	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
3 Feb 2015	Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
22 Jan 2016	Winter Storm	Winter	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
26 Dec 2013	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	—	55	Forecast zone
27 Jan 2009	Winter Storm	Winter	—	—	—	—	12	Forecast zone
19 Jan 2009	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	—	10	Forecast zone
21 Jul 2011	Excessive Heat	Heat	—	—	—	—	10	Forecast zone

Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.

Federal disaster declarations

Declared	Number	Type	Incident	Title	Programs
30 Mar 2020	DR-4506	Major disaster	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020	EM-3441	Emergency	Biological	Covid-19	Public assistance
23 Mar 2016	DR-4267	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	Public assistance
29 Oct 2012	EM-3356	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	Public assistance
12 Sep 2011	DR-4030	Major disaster	Flood	Tropical Storm Lee	Individual assistance, Public assistance
8 Sep 2011	EM-3340	Emergency	Flood	Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee	Public assistance
30 Jun 2006	DR-1649	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides	Individual assistance, Public assistance
10 Sep 2005	EM-3235	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina	Public assistance
19 Sep 2004	DR-1557	Major disaster	Hurricane	Tropical Depression Ivan	—
19 Sep 2004	DR-1555	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding Associated With Tropical Depression Frances	—
6 Aug 2004	DR-1538	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	—
14 Mar 2003	EM-3180	Emergency	Severe Storm	Snow	Public assistance
21 Jun 2001	DR-1383	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Tropical Storm Allison	Individual assistance, Public assistance
18 Sep 1999	DR-1294	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations	Individual assistance
8 Jun 1998	DR-1219	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes,And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
21 Jan 1996	DR-1093	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance
13 Jan 1996	DR-1085	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Blizzard Of 96	Public assistance
10 Mar 1994	DR-1015	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storms	Public assistance
16 Mar 1993	EM-3105	Emergency	Snowstorm	Severe Snowfall & Winter Storm	Public assistance
26 Sep 1975	DR-485	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms, Heavy Rains & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
17 Jul 1973	DR-400	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
23 Jun 1972	DR-340	Major disaster	Flood	Tropical Storm Agnes	Individual assistance, Public assistance
18 Aug 1965	DR-206	Major disaster	Drought	Water Shortage	Individual assistance, Public assistance

Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.

Flood insurance claims

197820022026

NFIP claims by year of loss in Berks County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 19781,313

Paid claims1,042

Total paid$24M

Average paid claim$23K

Repetitive-loss properties1167 severe

Residential policies in force6840.5% of 141,142 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	1	1	$6,823	$6,823
2025	10	9	$1,116,141	$124,016
2024	1	0	$0	—
2023	93	82	$4,033,316	$49,187
2022	2	1	$742	$742
2021	38	33	$595,454	$18,044
2020	96	72	$2,134,140	$29,641
2019	26	17	$920,032	$54,120
2018	39	34	$423,870	$12,467
2017	1	1	$2,023	$2,023
2015	2	1	$11,100	$11,100
2014	8	6	$94,138	$15,690
2013	4	2	$17,600	$8,800
2012	4	3	$19,356	$6,452
2011	93	78	$1,699,347	$21,786
2010	6	5	$17,814	$3,563
2009	4	1	$5,370	$5,370
2008	2	1	$1,779	$1,779
2007	6	4	$45,637	$11,409
2006	182	171	$8,853,242	$51,773
2005	41	34	$697,572	$20,517
2004	27	20	$214,698	$10,735
2003	22	14	$184,851	$13,204
2002	3	3	$8,678	$2,893
2001	31	20	$119,909	$5,995

OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).

National Risk Index

Overall riskRelatively Moderatescore 92.7 of 100

Expected annual loss$120MRelatively Moderate

Social vulnerabilityRelatively Moderate

Community resilienceVery High

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively High	$69,050,051
Hurricane	Relatively Moderate	$11,944,669
Cold wave	Relatively High	$8,816,043
Tornado	Relatively High	$7,108,589
Earthquake	Relatively Moderate	$6,056,872
Heat wave	Relatively Moderate	$5,000,762
Strong wind	Relatively High	$4,883,076
Winter weather	Very High	$2,060,181
Lightning	Relatively High	$1,915,549
Drought	Relatively High	$1,797,871
Hail	Relatively Low	$476,938
Ice storm	Relatively Moderate	$310,367
Landslide	Relatively Moderate	$66,531
Wildfire	Very Low	$21,272
Avalanche	Very Low	$122

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.

Hurricane and tropical storm passes

Tracks within 100 miles29

Tracks within 50 miles10

Hurricane strength within 50 miles0

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Ida	2021	46 mi	40 mph
Fay	2020	87 mi	40 mph
Isaias	2020	55 mi	63 mph
Sandy	2012	38 mi	81 mph
Irene	2011	97 mi	63 mph
Hanna	2008	81 mi	52 mph
Ernesto	2006	54 mi	40 mph
Bertha	1996	77 mi	69 mph
Danielle	1992	56 mi	40 mph
David	1979	78 mi	46 mph
Connie	1955	78 mi	58 mph
Diane	1955	19 mi	46 mph
Hazel	1954	69 mi	81 mph
Able	1952	55 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1949	44 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1943	78 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	51 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1933	58 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1929	41 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1915	23 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1903	49 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1899	23 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1893	15 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1888	33 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1888	91 mi	40 mph

HURDAT2 best-track positions at tropical-storm strength (34 kt) or more, measured from the county's Census centre point; through the 2025 season. Distance from a track is not the same as the extent of the storm's wind, rain or surge.

ZIP codes with flood claims

19605 135
19518 121
19606 111
19530 96
19508 80
19560 76
19512 58
19602 54
19526 50
19555 48
19529 39
19610 34
19533 30
19534 29
19540 27
19601 27
19510 26
19608 25
19607 21
19604 20
19611 20
19522 16
19567 16
19547 15
19551 13
19603 10
19609 9
19505 8
19565 8
19506 7
19548 7
19504 6
19519 6
19564 6
19562 5

ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.

Questions and answers

How often does it hail in Berks County, PA?

NCEI records 142 hail events in Berks County since 1950, in 42 different years; that is about 1.8 recorded events a year. 17 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Berks County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 30 tornadoes in Berks County since 1950, 11 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Berks County?

30 Mar 2020: Covid-19 Pandemic, a major disaster declaration for biological. The county appears in 23 declarations since 1953.

How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Berks County, and how much was paid?

1,313 NFIP claims since 1978, 1,042 of them paid, for $24M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Berks County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Moderate" for overall risk, "Relatively Moderate" for expected annual loss, "Relatively Moderate" for social vulnerability and "Very High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Berks County compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?

236.0 recorded events per 100 square miles against 121.6 statewide, and 3.1 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 5.9. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.

Provenance

Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.