States › Pennsylvania › Luzerne County
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.
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.
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, has 738 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950, most of them damaging wind.
That is 82.9 events per 100 square miles, below the Pennsylvania figure of 121.6, and 22.6 per 10,000 residents against 42.0 statewide.
20 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 7 deaths and 110 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $313M and crop damage at $7.7M.
FEMA has designated the county in 23 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Remnants Of Hurricane Ida (major disaster, 10 Sep 2021).
National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 4,147 claims since 1978, of which 3,398 were paid, totalling $94M (about $28K per paid claim). FEMA counts 3,881 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" ($88M a year across 18 hazards).
21 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 1 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.
Compared with Pennsylvania and the United States
| Measure | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 738 | 54,427 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 82.9 | 121.6 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 22.6 | 42.0 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 20 | 2,028 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 7 | 901 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $313M | $5.3B | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 12.7 | 5.9 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | $28K | $23K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | 2.9 | 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
Trend: 453 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 222 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jun 2006 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $100M | — | 3 | — | County |
| 10 Feb 2008 | Winter Weather | Winter | — | $100K | — | 1 | 35 | Forecast zone |
| 18 Jul 1997 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 16 Jul 2021 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 17 Nov 2025 | Winter Weather | Winter | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 15 Jul 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 0 mph | — | — | — | 25 | County |
| 6 Jul 1984 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $250K | — | — | 12 | County |
| 9 Oct 1998 | Dense Fog | Fog | — | — | — | — | 12 | Forecast zone |
| 18 Sep 2004 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $100M | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Jun 2018 | Tornado | Tornado | EF2 | $5.0M | — | — | 6 | County |
| 1 Dec 2006 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $1.0M | — | — | 5 | County |
| 8 Sep 2011 | Flood | Flood | — | $44M | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Jan 1996 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $21M | — | — | — | County |
| 13 May 2002 | Flood | Flood | — | $500K | — | — | 2 | County |
| 5 May 2004 | Lightning | Lightning | — | $10K | — | — | 2 | County |
| 22 Jun 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 70 mph | $10K | — | — | 2 | County |
| 12 Sep 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | — | $5K | — | — | 2 | County |
| 17 Aug 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 0 mph | — | — | — | 2 | County |
| 22 Jun 2025 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | — | 2 | County |
| 28 May 2002 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $5.0M | — | — | 1 | County |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Sep 2021 | DR-4618 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Remnants Of Hurricane Ida | Public assistance |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 23 Feb 2007 | DR-1684 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding | 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 |
| 14 Apr 2005 | DR-1587 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding | Individual assistance, 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 | — |
| 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 |
| 8 Oct 1985 | DR-745 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Hurricane Gloria | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 29 Jan 1977 | EM-3026 | Emergency | Snowstorm | Snowstorms | Public assistance |
| 20 Oct 1976 | DR-523 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 26 Sep 1975 | DR-485 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms, Heavy Rains & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 23 Jun 1972 | DR-340 | Major disaster | Flood | Tropical Storm Agnes | 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
| Year of loss | Claims | Paid claims | Amount paid | Average paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 1 | $321,015 | $321,015 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | $6,443 | $3,222 |
| 2024 | 3 | 2 | $357,767 | $178,883 |
| 2023 | 10 | 4 | $510,374 | $127,594 |
| 2022 | 3 | 1 | $8,534 | $8,534 |
| 2021 | 48 | 33 | $573,041 | $17,365 |
| 2020 | 6 | 3 | $17,075 | $5,692 |
| 2019 | 5 | 4 | $37,503 | $9,376 |
| 2018 | 18 | 13 | $220,655 | $16,973 |
| 2017 | 15 | 8 | $519,236 | $64,905 |
| 2016 | 4 | 1 | $450,000 | $450,000 |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2013 | 11 | 9 | $45,257 | $5,029 |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2011 | 899 | 799 | $63,032,142 | $78,889 |
| 2010 | 2 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 | $5,478 | $2,739 |
| 2008 | 5 | 2 | $28,112 | $14,056 |
| 2007 | 5 | 3 | $106,790 | $35,597 |
| 2006 | 541 | 491 | $8,508,346 | $17,329 |
| 2005 | 125 | 103 | $529,815 | $5,144 |
| 2004 | 539 | 486 | $9,651,326 | $19,859 |
| 2003 | 42 | 27 | $114,447 | $4,239 |
| 2002 | 8 | 3 | $205,794 | $68,598 |
| 2000 | 14 | 6 | $7,784 | $1,297 |
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
| Hazard (NRI) | Risk rating | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|
| Inland flooding | $63,799,573 | |
| Cold wave | $9,088,488 | |
| Tornado | $3,511,849 | |
| Heat wave | $2,815,633 | |
| Hurricane | $2,503,857 | |
| Earthquake | $2,048,890 | |
| Lightning | $1,628,604 | |
| Strong wind | $1,014,455 | |
| Winter weather | $843,673 | |
| Ice storm | $414,703 | |
| Hail | $243,363 | |
| Wildfire | $48,181 | |
| Landslide | $9,755 | |
| Avalanche | $1,015 |
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
| Storm | Year | Closest approach | Max wind while within 100 mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ida | 2021 | 97 mi | 40 mph |
| Isaias | 2020 | 49 mi | 63 mph |
| Sandy | 2012 | 89 mi | 63 mph |
| Ernesto | 2006 | 96 mi | 40 mph |
| David | 1979 | 28 mi | 46 mph |
| Agnes | 1972 | 85 mi | 52 mph |
| Connie | 1955 | 88 mi | 52 mph |
| Diane | 1955 | 69 mi | 46 mph |
| Hazel | 1954 | 93 mi | 81 mph |
| Able | 1952 | 57 mi | 58 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1949 | 42 mi | 58 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1934 | 100 mi | 46 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1933 | 67 mi | 52 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1929 | 33 mi | 58 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1915 | 75 mi | 58 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1903 | 25 mi | 63 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1899 | 75 mi | 58 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1893 | 67 mi | 63 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1888 | 48 mi | 46 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1885 | 78 mi | 46 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1878 | 37 mi | 81 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
- 18702 758
- 18643 623
- 18655 568
- 18704 407
- 18634 336
- 18640 269
- 18651 154
- 18706 138
- 18621 115
- 18705 109
- 18222 93
- 18660 62
- 18641 41
- 18642 41
- 18707 39
- 18644 38
- 18635 35
- 18701 34
- 18201 33
- 18708 31
- 18612 28
- 18618 23
- 18709 15
- 18601 13
- 18703 13
- 18661 12
- 18202 8
- 18249 7
- 18602 7
- 18711 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 Luzerne County, PA?
NCEI records 93 hail events in Luzerne County since 1950, in 30 different years; that is about 1.2 recorded events a year. 15 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has Luzerne County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 20 tornadoes in Luzerne County since 1950, 6 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Luzerne County?
10 Sep 2021: Remnants Of Hurricane Ida, a major disaster declaration for hurricane. The county appears in 23 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Luzerne County, and how much was paid?
4,147 NFIP claims since 1978, 3,398 of them paid, for $94M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.
Is Luzerne 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 High" for social vulnerability and "Relatively High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.
How does Luzerne County compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?
82.9 recorded events per 100 square miles against 121.6 statewide, and 12.7 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.