States › Pennsylvania › Lehigh County

Lehigh 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 42077 · 375,539 residents (2021) · 345 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 93Tornado · 15Flood · 126Wind · 517Winter · 312

Lehigh 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 1,342 storm events in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, led by damaging wind.

That is 388.6 events per 100 square miles, above the Pennsylvania figure of 121.6, and 35.7 per 10,000 residents against 42.0 statewide.

35 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 28 deaths and 77 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $83M and crop damage at $1.1M.

FEMA has designated the county in 17 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 967 claims since 1978, of which 741 were paid, totalling $12M (about $17K per paid claim). FEMA counts 423 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" ($128M a year across 18 hazards).

31 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.

35events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

1,342events since 195028 deaths, 77 injuries recorded

17disaster declarationslast 30 Mar 2020

967NFIP flood claims$12M paid

Compared with Pennsylvania and the United States

Measure	Lehigh County	Pennsylvania	US
Recorded events since 1950	1,342	54,427	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	388.6	121.6	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	35.7	42.0	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	35	2,028	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	28	901	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$83M	$5.3B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	2.6	5.9	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$17K	$23K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	35.5	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

Tornado: 2

Hail: 1Wind: 5

Tornado: 1Wind: 5

Hail: 8Tornado: 4Wind: 19

Hail: 3Tornado: 1Flood: 12Wind: 56Winter: 31Heat: 21Cold: 4Drought: 18Fog: 4Other: 19

Hail: 15Tornado: 1Flood: 41Wind: 134Winter: 116Heat: 28Cold: 19Drought: 22Wildfire: 4Lightning: 17Fog: 7Other: 15

Hail: 44Tornado: 3Flood: 49Wind: 170Winter: 116Tropical: 1Heat: 17Cold: 10Drought: 3Wildfire: 3Lightning: 7Fog: 5Other: 16

Hail: 22Tornado: 3Flood: 24Wind: 128Winter: 49Tropical: 1Heat: 4Cold: 1Lightning: 3Fog: 24Other: 6

21950s61960s61970s311980s1691990s4192000s4442010s2652020s

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

Trend: 880 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 411 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

Wind517

Winter312

Flood126

Hail93

Heat70

Other56

Drought43

Fog40

Cold34

Lightning27

Tornado15

Wildfire7

Tropical2

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	517	4	1.9%	detail
■ Winter	312	13	3.4%	detail
■ Flood	126	1	1.8%	detail
■ Hail	93	—	1.7%	detail
■ Heat	70	7	6.7%
■ Other	56	—	8.0%
■ Drought	43	—	5.3%
■ Fog	40	—	8.3%
■ Cold	34	3	3.1%
■ Lightning	27	—	4.9%
■ Tornado	15	—	1.4%	detail
■ Wildfire	7	—	8.2%
■ 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	81 mph	$3.0M	—	3	—	Forecast zone
4 Jul 2012	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	3	—	Forecast zone
25 Jan 2026	Winter Storm	Winter	—	—	—	3	—	Forecast zone
5 Feb 2014	Winter Storm	Winter	—	—	—	2	1	Forecast zone
29 Oct 2011	Heavy Snow	Winter	—	—	—	2	—	Forecast zone
22 Jan 2016	Winter Storm	Winter	—	—	—	2	—	Forecast zone
15 Dec 2007	Winter Storm	Winter	—	—	—	1	2	Forecast zone
7 Jan 1996	Blizzard	Winter	—	$2.2M	—	1	—	Forecast zone
13 Nov 2003	High Wind	Wind	58 mph	$100K	—	1	—	Forecast zone
4 Aug 2020	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$3K	—	1	—	County
8 Jan 1999	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
4 Jul 1999	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
18 Jan 2005	Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
7 Jun 2008	Excessive Heat	Heat	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
5 Jul 2010	Excessive Heat	Heat	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
21 Jul 2011	Excessive Heat	Heat	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
15 Feb 2015	Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
20 Feb 2015	Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
1 Feb 2021	Winter Storm	Winter	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
1 Aug 2006	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	—	40	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
8 Sep 2011	EM-3340	Emergency	Flood	Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee	Public assistance
3 Sep 2011	DR-4025	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Irene	Individual assistance, Public assistance
29 Aug 2011	EM-3339	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Irene	Public assistance
10 Sep 2005	EM-3235	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina	Public assistance
19 Sep 2004	DR-1557	Major disaster	Hurricane	Tropical Depression Ivan	Individual assistance, Public assistance
19 Sep 2004	DR-1555	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding Associated With Tropical Depression Frances	—
14 Mar 2003	EM-3180	Emergency	Severe Storm	Snow	Public assistance
21 Jan 1996	DR-1093	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public 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
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 Lehigh County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 1978967

Paid claims741

Total paid$12M

Average paid claim$17K

Repetitive-loss properties10521 severe

Residential policies in force4230.4% of 115,473 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	2	1	$10,828	$10,828
2025	2	2	$40,358	$20,179
2024	5	3	$14,850	$4,950
2023	2	0	$0	—
2022	2	1	$6,782	$6,782
2021	18	14	$437,622	$31,259
2020	88	70	$3,028,954	$43,271
2019	5	3	$24,774	$8,258
2018	26	17	$412,973	$24,293
2016	2	2	$44,516	$22,258
2015	2	2	$3,288	$1,644
2014	1	1	$63	$63
2013	3	2	$53,280	$26,640
2011	74	54	$729,811	$13,515
2010	17	11	$246,153	$22,378
2009	1	0	$0	—
2008	3	2	$3,811	$1,906
2007	2	1	$7,142	$7,142
2006	17	14	$174,841	$12,489
2005	64	53	$1,001,857	$18,903
2004	80	69	$1,879,905	$27,245
2003	5	1	$333	$333
2002	1	1	$835	$835
2001	4	3	$117,799	$39,266
2000	1	0	$0	—

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 93.9 of 100

Expected annual loss$128MRelatively Moderate

Social vulnerabilityRelatively Moderate

Community resilienceRelatively High

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively High	$67,971,322
Cold wave	Very High	$29,608,412
Heat wave	Relatively Moderate	$7,268,008
Hurricane	Relatively Moderate	$6,880,686
Tornado	Relatively Moderate	$5,244,959
Earthquake	Relatively Low	$4,495,798
Strong wind	Relatively High	$2,821,164
Lightning	Relatively High	$1,798,923
Winter weather	Very High	$1,439,066
Drought	Relatively Moderate	$333,591
Ice storm	Relatively Moderate	$310,108
Hail	Relatively Low	$148,928
Landslide	Relatively Low	$13,073
Wildfire	Very Low	$12,672
Avalanche	Very Low	$17

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 miles31

Tracks within 50 miles8

Hurricane strength within 50 miles0

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Ida	2021	56 mi	40 mph
Fay	2020	74 mi	40 mph
Isaias	2020	32 mi	63 mph
Sandy	2012	59 mi	81 mph
Irene	2011	81 mi	63 mph
Hanna	2008	71 mi	52 mph
Ernesto	2006	77 mi	40 mph
Bertha	1996	64 mi	69 mph
Danielle	1992	72 mi	40 mph
David	1979	71 mi	46 mph
Agnes	1972	94 mi	52 mph
Brenda	1960	94 mi	58 mph
Connie	1955	95 mi	52 mph
Diane	1955	29 mi	46 mph
Hazel	1954	89 mi	81 mph
Able	1952	33 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1949	54 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	57 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1933	74 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1929	61 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1915	37 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1903	34 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1899	37 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1893	89 mi	86 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1893	36 mi	63 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

18103 183
18104 161
18062 147
18109 75
18052 62
18049 47
18102 35
18069 20
18032 18
18034 16
18105 16
18080 15
18036 13
18078 13
18092 13
18031 12
18000 11
18011 11
18066 6
18087 6
18046 5
19539 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 Lehigh County, PA?

NCEI records 93 hail events in Lehigh County since 1950, in 25 different years; that is about 1.2 recorded events a year. 14 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Lehigh County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 15 tornadoes in Lehigh County since 1950, 3 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Lehigh County?

30 Mar 2020: Covid-19 Pandemic, a major disaster declaration for biological. The county appears in 17 declarations since 1953.

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

967 NFIP claims since 1978, 741 of them paid, for $12M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Lehigh 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 "Relatively High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Lehigh County compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?

388.6 recorded events per 100 square miles against 121.6 statewide, and 2.6 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.