Natural disaster risk in Blair County, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania · population 122,666 · FIPS 42013

Overall: relatively low risk

Blair County has a composite risk score of 77.7 out of 100 — higher than 77% of US counties. It ranks 26 of 67 in Pennsylvania (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are winter weather, inland (riverine) flooding, lightning.

Drought now: No: no drought or dryness

No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Blair County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 16 weeks in a row.

Drought in Blair County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu

The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.

Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience

MeasureRating and score
Overall risk
Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience.
Relatively low 77.7
Expected annual loss
About $33.9 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Relatively low 75.8
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively moderate 57.6
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Very high 94.1

Risk by hazard

FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Blair County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.

HazardRisk rating and score
Winter weather Relatively high 92
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively moderate 87
Lightning Relatively moderate 76
Strong wind Relatively moderate 69
Landslide Relatively low 85
Hurricane Relatively low 78
Earthquake Relatively low 62
Tornado Relatively low 58
Cold wave Relatively low 48
Hail Relatively low 44
Heat wave Relatively low 40
Avalanche Very low 59
Wildfire Very low 31
Ice storm Very low 23
Coastal flooding Not applicable
Drought No rating
Tsunami Not applicable
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Blair County

Federal declarations that designated Blair County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.

Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Blair County.

All FEMA declarations in Pennsylvania, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.

How to read these ratings

  • Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
  • Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
  • Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
  • Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
  • Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
  • Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
  • "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).

About this data

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.

Questions

What is the natural disaster risk in Blair County, Pennsylvania?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Blair County as relatively low, with a score of 77.7 out of 100 (higher than 77% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Blair County?

The hazards rated highest for Blair County are winter weather (relatively high), inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate), lightning (relatively moderate).

What is the flood risk in Blair County?

FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Blair County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.

Has Blair County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Blair County.

Is Blair County in a drought?

No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Blair County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 16 weeks in a row.

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