States › Pennsylvania › Philadelphia County

Philadelphia 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 42101 · 1,576,251 residents (2021) · 134 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 45Tornado · 12Flood · 287Wind · 489Winter · 209

Philadelphia 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 29 Sep 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

The NCEI record lists 1,372 events for Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 1,021.2 events per 100 square miles, above the Pennsylvania figure of 121.6, and 8.7 per 10,000 residents against 42.0 statewide.

58 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 392 deaths and 463 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $153M and crop damage at $20.

FEMA has designated the county in 25 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 1,700 claims since 1978, of which 1,324 were paid, totalling $48M (about $36K per paid claim). FEMA counts 1,383 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Very High" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively High" ($667M a year across 18 hazards).

44 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.

58events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

1,372events since 1950392 deaths, 463 injuries recorded

25disaster declarationslast 10 Sep 2021

1,700NFIP flood claims$48M paid

Compared with Pennsylvania and the United States

Measure	Philadelphia County	Pennsylvania	US
Recorded events since 1950	1,372	54,427	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	1,021.2	121.6	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	8.7	42.0	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	58	2,028	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	392	901	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$153M	$5.3B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	1.1	5.9	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$36K	$23K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	32.9	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

Tornado: 2

Wind: 1

Hail: 1Tornado: 1Wind: 7

Hail: 2Tornado: 2Wind: 27

Hail: 10Tornado: 3Flood: 23Wind: 55Winter: 17Heat: 29Cold: 4Drought: 19Lightning: 3Fog: 5Other: 24

Hail: 14Flood: 74Wind: 127Winter: 74Tropical: 17Heat: 53Cold: 17Drought: 24Wildfire: 1Lightning: 3Fog: 11Other: 13

Hail: 6Tornado: 1Flood: 110Wind: 154Winter: 85Tropical: 2Heat: 40Cold: 11Drought: 3Lightning: 5Fog: 5Other: 5

Hail: 12Tornado: 3Flood: 80Wind: 118Winter: 33Tropical: 1Heat: 15Cold: 1Fog: 19

21950s11960s91970s311980s1921990s4282000s4272010s2822020s

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

Trend: 848 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 466 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

Wind489

Flood287

Winter209

Heat137

Drought46

Hail45

Other42

Fog40

Cold33

Tropical20

Tornado12

Lightning11

Wildfire1

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	489	7	1.8%	detail
■ Flood	287	7	4.1%	detail
■ Winter	209	14	2.2%	detail
■ Heat	137	346	13.1%
■ Drought	46	—	5.7%
■ Hail	45	—	0.8%	detail
■ Other	42	—	6.0%
■ Fog	40	—	8.3%
■ Cold	33	18	3.0%
■ Tropical	20	—	21.3%
■ Tornado	12	—	1.1%	detail
■ Lightning	11	—	2.0%
■ Wildfire	1	—	1.2%

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
4 Jul 1999	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	58	124	Forecast zone
12 Jul 1997	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	23	50	Forecast zone
21 Jul 2011	Excessive Heat	Heat	—	—	—	22	48	Forecast zone
1 Aug 2006	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	21	—	Forecast zone
6 Aug 2001	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	19	—	Forecast zone
7 Jun 2008	Excessive Heat	Heat	—	—	—	18	1	Forecast zone
1 Jul 2002	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	15	—	Forecast zone
20 Jul 1998	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	8	75	Forecast zone
11 Aug 2002	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	8	—	Forecast zone
18 Jul 2005	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	6	—	Forecast zone
16 Jul 2008	Excessive Heat	Heat	—	—	—	6	—	Forecast zone
5 Jul 2010	Excessive Heat	Heat	—	—	—	6	—	Forecast zone
11 Aug 2016	Excessive Heat	Heat	—	—	—	6	—	Forecast zone
1 Aug 1999	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	5	—	Forecast zone
6 May 2000	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	5	—	Forecast zone
7 Aug 2000	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	5	—	Forecast zone
25 Jul 2005	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	5	—	Forecast zone
29 Jul 2011	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	5	—	Forecast zone
4 Jul 2012	Excessive Heat	Heat	—	—	—	5	—	Forecast zone
7 Jan 1996	Blizzard	Winter	—	$1.0M	—	4	—	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, 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
23 Mar 2016	DR-4267	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	Public assistance
6 Feb 2014	EM-3367	Emergency	Severe Ice Storm	Severe Winter Storm	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
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
16 Apr 2010	DR-1898	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorms	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
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	Individual assistance
14 Mar 2003	EM-3180	Emergency	Severe Storm	Snow	Public assistance
18 Sep 1999	DR-1294	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations	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
23 Jun 1972	DR-340	Major disaster	Flood	Tropical Storm Agnes	Individual assistance, Public assistance
18 Sep 1971	DR-312	Major disaster	Flood	Floods	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 Philadelphia County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 19781,700

Paid claims1,324

Total paid$48M

Average paid claim$36K

Repetitive-loss properties14134 severe

Residential policies in force1,3830.3% of 477,154 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	5	3	$15,796	$5,265
2025	6	1	$7,867	$7,867
2024	4	0	$0	—
2023	11	6	$110,620	$18,437
2022	3	1	$5,504	$5,504
2021	142	121	$18,003,526	$148,789
2020	251	239	$8,788,465	$36,772
2019	12	6	$155,983	$25,997
2018	19	12	$175,534	$14,628
2017	2	0	$0	—
2016	12	5	$22,926	$4,585
2015	4	2	$6,240	$3,120
2014	40	32	$3,904,004	$122,000
2013	4	0	$0	—
2012	11	4	$20,564	$5,141
2011	119	95	$2,949,682	$31,049
2010	54	44	$567,339	$12,894
2009	18	10	$54,392	$5,439
2008	6	4	$15,251	$3,813
2007	13	7	$25,942	$3,706
2006	30	25	$1,192,796	$47,712
2005	28	18	$329,511	$18,306
2004	128	113	$1,891,575	$16,740
2003	12	5	$16,848	$3,370
2002	3	1	$1,655	$1,655

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 riskVery Highscore 99.6 of 100

Expected annual loss$667MRelatively High

Social vulnerabilityVery High

Community resilienceRelatively Moderate

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Very High	$266,057,136
Heat wave	Very High	$256,419,434
Cold wave	Very High	$57,040,490
Earthquake	Relatively High	$41,629,578
Tornado	Relatively High	$21,102,550
Hurricane	Relatively High	$12,020,719
Strong wind	Relatively High	$3,500,793
Coastal flooding	Relatively High	$2,801,833
Hail	Relatively High	$2,055,138
Winter weather	Very High	$1,935,182
Lightning	Relatively High	$1,500,298
Ice storm	Relatively High	$988,753
Wildfire	Very Low	$8,805
Landslide	Relatively Low	$7,168
Drought	Very Low	$4,120

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 miles44

Tracks within 50 miles14

Hurricane strength within 50 miles1

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Ida	2021	29 mi	40 mph
Fay	2020	46 mi	58 mph
Isaias	2020	62 mi	63 mph
Andrea	2013	82 mi	46 mph
Sandy	2012	49 mi	81 mph
Irene	2011	57 mi	69 mph
Hanna	2008	34 mi	52 mph
Ernesto	2006	83 mi	40 mph
Charley	2004	86 mi	40 mph
Jeanne	2004	87 mi	40 mph
Floyd	1999	95 mi	58 mph
Bertha	1996	36 mi	69 mph
Danielle	1992	50 mi	40 mph
Henri	1985	95 mi	40 mph
Agnes	1972	93 mi	63 mph
Brenda	1960	78 mi	58 mph
Donna	1960	97 mi	98 mph
Diane	1955	33 mi	46 mph
Able	1952	55 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1949	95 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1944	65 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1943	95 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	20 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1929	62 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1916	77 mi	52 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

19153 608
19127 183
19103 107
19114 103
19128 84
19116 40
19152 29
19141 28
19151 28
19148 27
19115 26
19147 26
19124 25
19146 24
19154 22
19119 21
19138 21
19129 17
19131 17
19111 16
19134 16
19144 16
19149 15
19106 14
19130 14
19143 14
19142 13
19120 12
19132 11
19135 11
19136 11
19145 11
19150 11
19125 10
19107 9
19112 9
19123 8
19137 8
19102 7
19139 7
19104 6
19140 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 Philadelphia County, PA?

NCEI records 45 hail events in Philadelphia County since 1950, in 24 different years; that is about 0.6 recorded events a year. 6 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Philadelphia County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 12 tornadoes in Philadelphia County since 1950, 6 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Philadelphia County?

10 Sep 2021: Remnants Of Hurricane Ida, a major disaster declaration for hurricane. The county appears in 25 declarations since 1953.

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

1,700 NFIP claims since 1978, 1,324 of them paid, for $48M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

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

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

How does Philadelphia County compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?

1,021.2 recorded events per 100 square miles against 121.6 statewide, and 1.1 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 29 Sep 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 30 Sep 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.