States › Pennsylvania › Northampton County

Northampton 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 42095 · 313,628 residents (2021) · 370 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 69Tornado · 13Flood · 137Wind · 514Winter · 316

Northampton 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.

The NCEI record lists 1,359 events for Northampton County, Pennsylvania, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 367.5 events per 100 square miles, above the Pennsylvania figure of 121.6, and 43.3 per 10,000 residents against 42.0 statewide.

32 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 10 deaths and 71 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $148M and crop damage at $1.0M.

FEMA has designated the county in 24 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 1,561 claims since 1978, of which 1,310 were paid, totalling $48M (about $37K per paid claim). FEMA counts 594 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" ($90M a year across 18 hazards).

32 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.

32events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

1,359events since 195010 deaths, 71 injuries recorded

24disaster declarationslast 10 Sep 2021

1,561NFIP flood claims$48M paid

Compared with Pennsylvania and the United States

Measure	Northampton County	Pennsylvania	US
Recorded events since 1950	1,359	54,427	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	367.5	121.6	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	43.3	42.0	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	32	2,028	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	10	901	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$148M	$5.3B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	5.0	5.9	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$37K	$23K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	27.8	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

Wind: 4

Wind: 16

Hail: 1Tornado: 3Wind: 13

Hail: 6Tornado: 5Wind: 20

Hail: 5Tornado: 3Flood: 11Wind: 63Winter: 34Heat: 20Cold: 4Drought: 18Lightning: 9Fog: 4Other: 18

Hail: 20Flood: 38Wind: 134Winter: 117Heat: 27Cold: 20Drought: 22Wildfire: 14Lightning: 31Fog: 7Other: 15

Hail: 21Flood: 54Wind: 153Winter: 115Tropical: 1Heat: 16Cold: 11Drought: 3Wildfire: 5Lightning: 18Fog: 6Other: 11

Hail: 16Tornado: 2Flood: 34Wind: 111Winter: 50Tropical: 1Heat: 3Cold: 1Lightning: 2Fog: 21Other: 2

41950s161960s171970s311980s1891990s4452000s4142010s2432020s

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

Trend: 832 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 460 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

Wind514

Winter316

Flood137

Hail69

Heat66

Lightning60

Other46

Drought43

Fog38

Cold36

Wildfire19

Tornado13

Tropical2

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	514	3	1.9%	detail
■ Winter	316	3	3.4%	detail
■ Flood	137	—	1.9%	detail
■ Hail	69	—	1.2%	detail
■ Heat	66	1	6.3%
■ Lightning	60	1	10.8%
■ Other	46	—	6.6%
■ Drought	43	—	5.3%
■ Fog	38	—	7.9%
■ Cold	36	1	3.3%
■ Wildfire	19	1	22.4%
■ Tornado	13	—	1.2%	detail
■ 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	77 mph	$1.0M	—	2	—	Forecast zone
3 Mar 2015	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	1	1	Forecast zone
6 Apr 2015	Wildfire	Wildfire	—	$1K	—	1	—	Forecast zone
6 May 1991	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	1	—	County
4 Jul 1999	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
23 Jan 2005	Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
13 Feb 2007	Winter Storm	Winter	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
24 Dec 2008	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
5 Aug 2009	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	—	County
26 Apr 2009	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	—	25	Forecast zone
12 Feb 2014	Winter Storm	Winter	—	—	—	—	6	Forecast zone
5 Feb 2011	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	—	5	Forecast zone
11 Aug 1983	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$25M	—	—	2	County
2 Apr 2005	Flood	Flood	—	$40M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
16 Mar 2007	Winter Storm	Winter	—	—	—	—	4	Forecast zone
1 Sep 2021	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$25M	—	—	—	County
1 Sep 2021	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$25M	—	—	—	County
26 Jul 1981	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$250K	—	—	2	County
1 Feb 2011	Winter Storm	Winter	—	$200K	—	—	2	Forecast zone
12 Jan 2007	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	—	2	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
10 Sep 2021	DR-4618	Major disaster	Hurricane	Remnants Of Hurricane Ida	Individual 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
27 Nov 2018	DR-4408	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Public assistance
23 Mar 2016	DR-4267	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	Public assistance
10 Jan 2013	DR-4099	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	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
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	—
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
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 Northampton County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 19781,561

Paid claims1,310

Total paid$48M

Average paid claim$37K

Repetitive-loss properties24455 severe

Residential policies in force5940.6% of 101,869 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	1	1	$1,304	$1,304
2025	2	0	$0	—
2024	5	2	$2,188	$1,094
2023	30	28	$1,133,015	$40,465
2021	36	28	$411,797	$14,707
2020	77	63	$1,385,121	$21,986
2018	12	9	$118,415	$13,157
2017	2	1	$42,593	$42,593
2016	3	2	$4,719	$2,360
2015	9	7	$102,865	$14,695
2014	8	5	$33,980	$6,796
2013	5	3	$57,668	$19,223
2012	6	1	$8,102	$8,102
2011	137	108	$2,008,662	$18,599
2010	21	17	$209,307	$12,312
2009	2	0	$0	—
2008	1	0	$0	—
2007	10	8	$37,223	$4,653
2006	296	275	$15,349,979	$55,818
2005	298	272	$14,393,693	$52,918
2004	329	282	$10,797,102	$38,288
2003	3	1	$3,869	$3,869
2002	1	0	$0	—
2001	2	0	$0	—
2000	3	2	$165,403	$82,701

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 90.0 of 100

Expected annual loss$90MRelatively Moderate

Social vulnerabilityRelatively Low

Community resilienceRelatively High

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively High	$62,981,267
Heat wave	Relatively Moderate	$5,324,195
Hurricane	Relatively Moderate	$5,254,088
Cold wave	Relatively Moderate	$4,977,784
Tornado	Relatively Moderate	$4,434,996
Earthquake	Relatively Low	$2,819,530
Lightning	Relatively High	$1,535,216
Strong wind	Relatively Moderate	$1,480,979
Winter weather	Relatively High	$940,490
Ice storm	Relatively Moderate	$258,981
Drought	Relatively Low	$228,214
Hail	Very Low	$107,164
Wildfire	Very Low	$13,802
Landslide	Relatively Low	$11,314
Avalanche	Very Low	$173

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 miles32

Tracks within 50 miles4

Hurricane strength within 50 miles0

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Ida	2021	68 mi	40 mph
Fay	2020	65 mi	40 mph
Isaias	2020	15 mi	63 mph
Sandy	2012	75 mi	81 mph
Irene	2011	69 mi	63 mph
Hanna	2008	67 mi	52 mph
Ernesto	2006	94 mi	40 mph
Floyd	1999	95 mi	58 mph
Bertha	1996	57 mi	69 mph
Danielle	1992	86 mi	40 mph
David	1979	73 mi	46 mph
Agnes	1972	78 mi	52 mph
Doria	1971	89 mi	52 mph
Brenda	1960	81 mi	58 mph
Diane	1955	43 mi	46 mph
Able	1952	16 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1949	68 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	66 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1933	89 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1929	53 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1915	52 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1903	26 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1900	90 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1899	52 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1893	74 mi	86 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

18042 424
18013 244
18040 239
18018 145
18343 134
18015 74
18020 70
18017 66
18055 45
18045 27
18064 27
18067 27
18014 22
18351 22
18063 20
18088 12
18091 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 Northampton County, PA?

NCEI records 69 hail events in Northampton County since 1950, in 29 different years; that is about 0.9 recorded events a year. 8 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Northampton County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 13 tornadoes in Northampton County since 1950, 3 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Northampton County?

10 Sep 2021: Remnants Of Hurricane Ida, a major disaster declaration for hurricane. The county appears in 24 declarations since 1953.

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

1,561 NFIP claims since 1978, 1,310 of them paid, for $48M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Northampton 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 Low" for social vulnerability and "Relatively High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Northampton County compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?

367.5 recorded events per 100 square miles against 121.6 statewide, and 5.0 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.