Cold Wave Risk in Pennsylvania
All Pennsylvania counties ranked by FEMA National Risk Index cold wave score
Cold Wave risk — prolonged spells of dangerously low temperatures — is rated for 67 of 67 Pennsylvania counties in FEMA's National Risk Index. Philadelphia County carries the state's highest cold wave score at 99.8, with $57M in expected annual cold wave losses.
11 Pennsylvania counties are rated High or Very High for cold wave, and expected annual losses from cold wave total roughly $256M statewide. The full ranking below links to each county's complete 18-hazard risk profile.
County Rankings — Cold Wave
| # | County | Cold Wave Score | Rating | Ann. Freq. | Ann. Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia County | Very High | 0.79 / yr | $57M | |
| 2 | Lehigh County | Very High | 1.00 / yr | $30M | |
| 3 | Allegheny County | Very High | 2.84 / yr | $32M | |
| 4 | Montgomery County | High | 0.89 / yr | $30M | |
| 5 | Monroe County | High | 3.21 / yr | $12M | |
| 6 | Luzerne County | High | 2.79 / yr | $9M | |
| 7 | Berks County | High | 1.00 / yr | $9M | |
| 8 | Delaware County | High | 0.79 / yr | $9M | |
| 9 | Lancaster County | High | 1.16 / yr | $8M | |
| 10 | Bucks County | High | 0.89 / yr | $9M | |
| 11 | Lackawanna County | High | 2.95 / yr | $6M | |
| 12 | Chester County | Medium | 0.92 / yr | $8M | |
| 13 | Northampton County | Medium | 1.00 / yr | $5M | |
| 14 | Schuylkill County | Medium | 1.63 / yr | $3M | |
| 15 | Carbon County | Medium | 3.21 / yr | $3M | |
| 16 | Pike County | Medium | 3.00 / yr | $3M | |
| 17 | York County | Medium | 1.16 / yr | $3M | |
| 18 | Cambria County | Medium | 4.16 / yr | $2M | |
| 19 | Dauphin County | Medium | 1.21 / yr | $2M | |
| 20 | Wayne County | Low | 3.38 / yr | $1M | |
| 21 | Lebanon County | Low | 1.16 / yr | $2M | |
| 22 | Indiana County | Low | 3.53 / yr | $1M | |
| 23 | Clearfield County | Low | 3.79 / yr | $1M | |
| 24 | Blair County | Low | 1.84 / yr | $814K | |
| 25 | Northumberland County | Low | 1.42 / yr | $800K | |
| 26 | Jefferson County | Low | 3.84 / yr | $587K | |
| 27 | Cumberland County | Low | 1.21 / yr | $816K | |
| 28 | Bradford County | Low | 3.16 / yr | $700K | |
| 29 | McKean County | Low | 4.16 / yr | $567K | |
| 30 | Erie County | Low | 3.62 / yr | $580K | |
| 31 | Columbia County | Low | 1.58 / yr | $684K | |
| 32 | Susquehanna County | Low | 3.42 / yr | $616K | |
| 33 | Warren County | Low | 3.89 / yr | $507K | |
| 34 | Clarion County | Low | 3.84 / yr | $479K | |
| 35 | Lycoming County | Low | 2.82 / yr | $480K | |
| 36 | Elk County | Low | 4.00 / yr | $424K | |
| 37 | Wyoming County | Low | 2.95 / yr | $353K | |
| 38 | Adams County | Low | 1.16 / yr | $363K | |
| 39 | Greene County | Low | 2.63 / yr | $308K | |
| 40 | Potter County | Very Low | 4.16 / yr | $242K | |
| 41 | Mercer County | Very Low | 3.63 / yr | $255K | |
| 42 | Crawford County | Very Low | 3.47 / yr | $212K | |
| 43 | Centre County | Very Low | 2.46 / yr | $244K | |
| 44 | Snyder County | Very Low | 1.37 / yr | $219K | |
| 45 | Franklin County | Very Low | 1.37 / yr | $252K | |
| 46 | Union County | Very Low | 1.42 / yr | $188K | |
| 47 | Perry County | Very Low | 1.21 / yr | $203K | |
| 48 | Mifflin County | Very Low | 1.42 / yr | $124K | |
| 49 | Beaver County | Very Low | 2.95 / yr | $179K | |
| 50 | Lawrence County | Very Low | 3.32 / yr | $164K | |
| 51 | Butler County | Very Low | 3.26 / yr | $187K | |
| 52 | Montour County | Very Low | 1.42 / yr | $141K | |
| 53 | Westmoreland County | Very Low | 3.44 / yr | $164K | |
| 54 | Tioga County | Very Low | 3.74 / yr | $127K | |
| 55 | Forest County | Very Low | 3.84 / yr | $89K | |
| 56 | Juniata County | Very Low | 1.32 / yr | $93K | |
| 57 | Somerset County | Very Low | 4.11 / yr | $95K | |
| 58 | Sullivan County | Very Low | 3.74 / yr | $68K | |
| 59 | Cameron County | Very Low | 4.00 / yr | $63K | |
| 60 | Venango County | Very Low | 3.68 / yr | $64K | |
| 61 | Clinton County | Very Low | 3.12 / yr | $57K | |
| 62 | Armstrong County | Very Low | 3.37 / yr | $67K | |
| 63 | Huntingdon County | Very Low | 1.58 / yr | $59K | |
| 64 | Fayette County | Very Low | 3.57 / yr | $46K | |
| 65 | Washington County | Very Low | 2.84 / yr | $65K | |
| 66 | Bedford County | Very Low | 1.84 / yr | $48K | |
| 67 | Fulton County | Very Low | 1.47 / yr | $24K |
67 Pennsylvania counties with measurable cold wave risk. See the national cold wave ranking or all Pennsylvania counties by overall risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Pennsylvania county has the highest cold wave risk?
Philadelphia County has the highest FEMA cold wave risk score in Pennsylvania at 99.8 (Very High), with $57M in expected annual losses and about 0.79 events per year.
How many Pennsylvania counties face significant cold wave risk?
67 Pennsylvania counties record measurable cold wave risk in FEMA's National Risk Index; 11 of them are rated High or Very High.