States › Pennsylvania › Schuylkill County

Schuylkill 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 42107 · 143,264 residents (2021) · 779 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 51Tornado · 15Flood · 58Wind · 276Winter · 92

Schuylkill 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 519 events for Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 66.7 events per 100 square miles, below the Pennsylvania figure of 121.6, and 36.2 per 10,000 residents against 42.0 statewide.

23 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 11 deaths and 32 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $8.2M.

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 1,041 claims since 1978, of which 869 were paid, totalling $26M (about $30K per paid claim). FEMA counts 596 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 Low" ($49M a year across 18 hazards).

24 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.

23events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

519events since 195011 deaths, 32 injuries recorded

24disaster declarationslast 10 Sep 2021

1,041NFIP flood claims$26M paid

Compared with Pennsylvania and the United States

Measure	Schuylkill County	Pennsylvania	US
Recorded events since 1950	519	54,427	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	66.7	121.6	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	36.2	42.0	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	23	2,028	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	11	901	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$8.2M	$5.3B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	7.3	5.9	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$30K	$23K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	31.2	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: 3

Wind: 2

Hail: 2Tornado: 5Wind: 8

Hail: 5Tornado: 1Wind: 9

Hail: 11Tornado: 2Flood: 11Wind: 47Winter: 12Drought: 4

Hail: 15Flood: 20Wind: 73Winter: 35Tropical: 1Heat: 2Cold: 4

Hail: 17Tornado: 2Flood: 19Wind: 78Winter: 22Heat: 1Cold: 1Other: 1

Hail: 1Tornado: 2Flood: 8Wind: 59Winter: 23Heat: 1Cold: 1Drought: 10Fog: 1

31950s21960s151970s151980s871990s1502000s1412010s1062020s

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

Trend: 304 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 176 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

Wind276

Winter92

Flood58

Hail51

Tornado15

Drought14

Cold6

Heat4

Tropical1

Fog1

Other1

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	276	1	1.0%	detail
■ Winter	92	9	1.0%	detail
■ Flood	58	1	0.8%	detail
■ Hail	51	—	0.9%	detail
■ Tornado	15	—	1.4%	detail
■ Drought	14	—	1.7%
■ Cold	6	—	0.6%
■ Heat	4	—	0.4%
■ Tropical	1	—	1.1%
■ Fog	1	—	0.2%
■ Other	1	—	0.1%

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
28 Mar 2022	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	6	24	Forecast zone
13 Mar 2017	Winter Storm	Winter	—	—	—	3	—	Forecast zone
15 Jul 1992	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	1	—	County
10 Mar 2011	Flood	Flood	—	—	—	1	—	County
15 Jul 1992	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$2.5M	—	—	2	County
7 Sep 2011	Flood	Flood	—	$4.0M	—	—	1	County
10 Nov 1975	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$25K	—	—	1	County
6 May 1991	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	—	1	County
14 Jan 1992	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	—	1	County
15 Nov 2022	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	—	1	Forecast zone
17 Jun 2025	Dense Fog	Fog	—	—	—	—	1	Forecast zone
19 Nov 1957	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$250K	—	—	—	County
26 May 2011	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	$250K	—	—	—	County
12 Aug 2009	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$100K	—	—	—	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
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
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
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
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
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
19 Aug 1969	DR-273	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	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 Schuylkill County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 19781,041

Paid claims869

Total paid$26M

Average paid claim$30K

Repetitive-loss properties954 severe

Residential policies in force5961.0% of 60,313 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2024	1	1	$6,542	$6,542
2023	1	0	$0	—
2021	15	14	$299,145	$21,367
2020	4	3	$109,793	$36,598
2019	1	1	$957	$957
2018	163	140	$4,239,773	$30,284
2017	1	0	$0	—
2015	6	4	$21,379	$5,345
2014	1	1	$12,847	$12,847
2013	2	0	$0	—
2012	11	9	$82,061	$9,118
2011	202	173	$9,665,177	$55,868
2010	17	10	$68,070	$6,807
2008	5	4	$6,307	$1,577
2007	3	2	$4,207	$2,104
2006	365	335	$8,205,876	$24,495
2005	1	0	$0	—
2004	80	71	$2,553,012	$35,958
2003	1	0	$0	—
2002	1	0	$0	—
2001	2	0	$0	—
2000	5	3	$10,313	$3,438
1999	3	1	$803	$803
1998	2	2	$2,967	$1,484
1997	1	1	$2,279	$2,279

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 85.3 of 100

Expected annual loss$49MRelatively Low

Social vulnerabilityRelatively High

Community resilienceRelatively High

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively Moderate	$36,268,335
Cold wave	Relatively Moderate	$2,809,366
Hurricane	Relatively Moderate	$2,455,251
Tornado	Relatively Moderate	$1,926,603
Strong wind	Relatively High	$1,805,518
Heat wave	Relatively Low	$966,947
Lightning	Relatively High	$820,825
Earthquake	Relatively Low	$784,790
Winter weather	Relatively High	$726,826
Ice storm	Relatively Moderate	$128,955
Wildfire	Very Low	$56,404
Hail	Very Low	$55,353
Landslide	Relatively Moderate	$49,509
Avalanche	Very Low	$222

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 miles24

Tracks within 50 miles8

Hurricane strength within 50 miles0

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Ida	2021	70 mi	40 mph
Isaias	2020	60 mi	63 mph
Sandy	2012	56 mi	63 mph
Ernesto	2006	61 mi	40 mph
Bertha	1996	97 mi	69 mph
Danielle	1992	78 mi	40 mph
David	1979	55 mi	46 mph
Connie	1955	64 mi	52 mph
Diane	1955	44 mi	46 mph
Hazel	1954	62 mi	81 mph
Able	1952	64 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1949	21 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1943	89 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	76 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1933	42 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1929	56 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1915	47 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1903	46 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1899	47 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1893	37 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1888	16 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1885	69 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1878	70 mi	81 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1876	99 mi	58 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

17963 298
17965 148
17972 99
17941 52
17981 50
18252 42
17970 36
17961 32
17935 28
17954 24
17901 23
17936 22
17922 16
17929 15
17921 13
17931 13
19549 13
17953 12
17934 11
17960 11
18237 11
17967 9
17976 9
17949 8
17938 7
17959 6

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 Schuylkill County, PA?

NCEI records 51 hail events in Schuylkill County since 1950, in 28 different years; that is about 0.7 recorded events a year. 14 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Schuylkill County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 15 tornadoes in Schuylkill County since 1950, 2 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Schuylkill 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 Schuylkill County, and how much was paid?

1,041 NFIP claims since 1978, 869 of them paid, for $26M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Schuylkill 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 Low" 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 Schuylkill County compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?

66.7 recorded events per 100 square miles against 121.6 statewide, and 7.3 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.