Natural hazards · Whitehall

Whitehall, MI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Whitehall comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1978. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Whitehall?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Whitehall to be higher than in 2% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding64%Tornadoes12%Strong wind11%Cold waves5%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Whitehall faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

64% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 8% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

12% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 45% of U.S. places

Strong wind

11% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

5% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 29% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingHurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

Not a risk here

DroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Whitehall flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Whitehall, from FEMA’s records.

1paid claims since 1978

$387paid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Whitehall isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Muskegon County.

Disasters that hit Whitehall

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Whitehall itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Whitehall.

Brought FEMA money into WhitehallDeclared for Muskegon County only

2026

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

9 households applied for aid $95K aid approved

2000

Snow

$4K to the City of Whitehall for repairs

1999

Mi - Severe Weather 1/2 /99

$4K to the City of Whitehall for repairs

Muskegon County has had 12 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Whitehall

Whitehall and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Fruitlandmostly inland floodingVery low

Montaguemostly inland floodingVery low

Whitehallmostly inland floodingVery low

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Whitehall is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Whitehall’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Whitehall. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.