Dauphin County, PA Environment & Hazard Risk
Relatively Moderate natural hazard risk, led by winter weather. 621 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $99.79M
- Relatively Moderate nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 621
- Most often thunderstorm wind
- Flood insurance policies
- 1,130
- 1.2% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 0
- 5 tropical storms or stronger since 1888
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Relatively Moderate
Score 91.1 of 100
Social vulnerability
Relatively Low
Score 37.8 of 100
Community resilience
Very High
Score 96.6 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $69.91B · Agriculture value exposed: $120M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $101M
Risk by hazard
- Winter weatherVery High$1.41M/yr expected annual loss, about 12 events a year
- Strong windRelatively High$2.61M/yr expected annual loss, about 4.7 events a year
- HurricaneRelatively Moderate$6.93M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 15 years
- Heat waveRelatively Moderate$2.77M/yr expected annual loss, about 5.1 events a year
- LightningRelatively High$1.12M/yr expected annual loss, about 35 events a year
- EarthquakeRelatively Low$3.58M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 877 years
- LandslideRelatively Low$29.22K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
- TornadoRelatively Moderate$4.03M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 4 years
- Cold waveRelatively Moderate$1.97M/yr expected annual loss, about 1.2 events a year
- Ice stormRelatively Low$93.87K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
- DroughtRelatively Low$141K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 3 years
- AvalancheVery Low$287/yr expected annual loss, about once every 100 years
- WildfireVery Low$24.58K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 16,663 years
- HailVery Low$88.69K/yr expected annual loss, about 2.2 events a year
Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: coastal flooding, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.
Flood risk and insurance
National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA flood maps
Check the flood zone for an address
- Homes with flood insurance
- 1,130 of 96,874 (1.2%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 3,368
- Insured in high-risk zones
- 862 (26%)
- Flood claims since 1978
- 5,248
- Claims paid since 1978
- $86.09M
Flood claims paid per year
- Tropical Storm Lee$49.08M · 1,636 claims
- Tropical Storm Ivan$14.22M · 920 claims
- Flooding$12.22M · 1,341 claims
- Hurricane Irene$1.5M · 52 claims
- Not a named storm$295K · 135 claims
- Hurricane Ida$275K · 31 claims
Storm history
Since 1996: 621 events, 8 deaths, $156M in damage
- Thunderstorm Wind328
- Hail72
- Flash Flood46
- Flood36 · 5 deaths
- Winter Storm32 · 1 death
- Heavy Snow28
- High Wind21
- Tornado11 · 1 death
- Strong Wind9 · 1 death
- Heat7
Events per year
19 tornadoes on record (EF0 1, EF1 5, F0 3, F1 6, F2 4).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- Flood09/07/2011
Deodate, Dauphin County
4 deaths, $151M damage
What happened
Swatara Creek near Hershey crested at major flood stage, 26.8 feet. Flood stage is 7.0 feet. Swatara Creek at Middletwon crested at major flood stage, estimated at 26.30 feet. Flood stage is 11.0 feet. This is the 5th highest all time.||The Susquehanna River at Harrisburg crested in major flood stage at 25.17 feet. Flood stage is 17 feet. This is the 5th highest crest on record.||While the Susquehanna River flooded a large area of Harrisburg, some areas were fortunate enough to escape the flood waters. Midtown and Uptown residents were largely unscathed, though widespread power outages were reported. The river levels crested several feet below that of Agnes, thanks in part to less contribution from the West Branch of the Susquehanna.||Between 8,000 and 10,000 residents were evacuated. The Shipoke area of downtown reported significant flooding. City Island was also hard hit, with the baseball stadium under at least seven feet of water, prompting the double A baseball team to have to play its playoff games on the road.||Major damage was widespread in Hershey. Hersheypark and ZooAmerica both reported major damage with 8 feet of water in low lying areas of Hershey Park....
- TornadoF1, 1.5 mi path, 75 yd wide12/02/2006
Halifax, Dauphin County
1 death, $2M damage
What happened
A thunderstorm spawned an F1 tornado south of the town of Halifax in Dauphin county, as determined by a National Weather Service storm survey team. The tornado was embedded within a much larger area of downburst wind damage.|The tornado touched down near Route 147 about 1.3 miles south of Halifax. The tornado traveled northeast about 1.5 miles, before dissipating in a wooded area. Major damage was sustained by 4 businesses and 1 home. Moderate damage was sustained by 4 additional residences. Minor damage occurred to several dozen homes. Top winds were estimated between 100 and 110 mph, categorizing the storm as an F1.|Damages from the tornado were estimated at nearly 2 million dollars. There was one fatality caused by a tree falling onto a car.
- Strong Wind44 kt wind08/28/2011
Dauphin
1 death, 1 injured, $25K damage
What happened
Strong to damaging non-thunderstorm winds associated with Hurricane Irene knocked down several trees and utility wires, causing widespread road closures and thousands of power outages. One tree fell and killed a 56-year old man who was camping in a tent near Manda Gap. A woman who was also in the tent survived but sustained serious injuries. Peak wind gusts at Capital City (CXY) and Harrisburg International (MDT) were 44 and 51 mph respectively.
- Flood07/24/2018
Deodate, Dauphin County
1 death
What happened
At 9pm, A 19 year old female attempted to swim across Conewago Creek with her 22 year old relative. She was unable to cross the creek due to the fast current and was swept away. She was found downstream several days later deceased.
- Winter Storm01/22/2016
Dauphin
1 death
What happened
Heavy snowfall amounts of 19 to 31 inches were observed across the county. A Halifax man suffered cardiac arrest and died while shoveling snow.
- Thunderstorm Wind51 kt wind09/07/1998
Harrisburg, Dauphin County
4 injured
What happened
Winds damaged tents at the Kipona Arts Festival in Harrisburg. Four people were injured. Many trees were down in the area.
Latest storm reports
Newest first
- Thunderstorm Wind52 kt wind07/28/2026
Enhaut, Dauphin County
$2,000 damage
- Thunderstorm Wind52 kt wind07/28/2026
Oberlin, Dauphin County
$2,000 damage
- Thunderstorm Wind53 kt wind07/19/2026
Olmsted AFB, Dauphin County
- Thunderstorm Wind52 kt wind07/19/2026
Ft Hunter, Dauphin County
$20K damage
- Flash Flood07/06/2026
Union Deposit, Dauphin County
- Flash Flood07/06/2026
Hershey Arpt, Dauphin County
- Flash Flood07/06/2026
Hummelstown, Dauphin County
- Flash Flood07/06/2026
Hummelstown, Dauphin County
Hurricanes and tropical storms
Storms whose track crossed Dauphin County, with the wind when it passed
- Hurricane Ernesto (2006)08/25/2006 · Landfall: FL, NC · 985 mbTropical storm40 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1949)08/23/1949 · Landfall: FL · 954 mbTropical storm58 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1943)09/28/1943 · Landfall: VA · 997 mbTropical storm40 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1933)08/13/1933 · Landfall: NC · 948 mbTropical storm63 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1888)08/14/1888 · Landfall: FL, LATropical storm52 mph nearby
Drinking water
28 community water systems serve about 263,371 people. Violations since 2021.
6 systems had health-based violations, such as a contaminant over the legal limit or a missed treatment step. 1 system had a violation of any kind still open at last report.
- Veolia WaterServes 110,000 · Surface water · PrivateNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
- Capital Region WaterServes 66,540 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+7 monitoring or reporting
- PA Amer Water CoServes 50,200 · Surface water · PrivateNo health violations
- Veolia MiddletownServes 9,600 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
- PA American Water SteeltonServes 6,428 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
- Millersburg Water AuthServes 4,600 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+12 monitoring or reporting
- Lykens Boro AuthServes 3,220 · Surface water · Local government6 health violations+35 monitoring or reporting
- Elizabethville Area AuthServes 2,700 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
Largest systems by population served. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or notices were late or missing, not that the water was unsafe.
Climate
1991-2020 normals at Dehart Dam, 6.7 mi from the county center
Summer highs peak around 84°F in Jul and winter lows bottom out near 20°F in Jan. About 50.9 inches of rain falls in a typical year, with 27.6 inches of snow.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37°F | 20°F | 3.59 in | 8.4 in |
| Feb | 40°F | 21°F | 2.83 in | 8.3 in |
| Mar | 49°F | 28°F | 3.88 in | 5.1 in |
| Apr | 61°F | 37°F | 4.46 in | 0.6 in |
| May | 71°F | 47°F | 4.42 in | - |
| Jun | 79°F | 56°F | 4.87 in | - |
| Jul | 84°F | 60°F | 5.05 in | - |
| Aug | 82°F | 59°F | 4.27 in | - |
| Sep | 75°F | 52°F | 5.63 in | - |
| Oct | 64°F | 41°F | 4.54 in | - |
| Nov | 52°F | 32°F | 3.30 in | 0.8 in |
| Dec | 42°F | 25°F | 4.01 in | 4.4 in |
| Year | 51°F average | 50.9 in | 27.6 in | |
Pollution sites
1 Superfund site and 14 toxic release facilities in Dauphin County
Superfund sites
- Middletown Air FieldDeletedMiddletown
Toxic release facilities
- Dura-Bond Pipe LLC57,069 lbs released, Steelton
- Cleveland-Cliffs Steelton LLC46,131 lbs released, Steelton
- Mountain Ridge Metals LLC.5,079 lbs released, Millersburg
- Dauphin Precision Tool LLC2,380 lbs released, Millersburg
- Highspire Terminals - De Llc/Highspire Terminal2,307 lbs released, Middletown
- Librandi's Machine Inc.496 lbs released, Middletown
- Pratt & Whitney Amercon255 lbs released, Middletown
- Univar Solutions USA - Middletown Branch19 lbs released, Middletown
- Wenger Feeds Llc-Spring Glen (F/K/A Wenger Feed Mill Inc)7.1 lbs released, Spring Glen
- Mack Trucks Inc Remanufacturing Center6.1 lbs released, Middletown
Total: 113,755 lbs in 2024, 32,907 lbs to air.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk48 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is Dauphin County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates Dauphin County relatively moderate for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $99.79M a year. The highest-rated hazards are winter weather (very high), strong wind (relatively high), hurricane (relatively moderate).
- What storms are most common in Dauphin County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 621 storm events affecting Dauphin County, most often thunderstorm wind (328), hail (72), flash flood (46).
- How many tornadoes have hit Dauphin County?
- 19 tornadoes have been recorded in Dauphin County since 1950.
- How many homes in Dauphin County have flood insurance?
- 1,130 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Dauphin County, covering about 1.2% of homes. The program has paid $86.09M on 5,248 claims here since 1978.
- What is the weather like in Dauphin County?
- At Dehart Dam, average highs reach 84°F in Jul and lows fall to 20°F in Jan, with 50.9 inches of rain a year (1991-2020 normals).
Source: FEMA (National Risk Index, NFIP), NOAA (Storm Events, HURDAT2, Climate Normals), EPA · Last updated 08/01/2026 · Storm counts include events in forecast zones that touch the county. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.