Natural hazards · Buffalo

Buffalo, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Buffalo comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 37 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Buffalo?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Buffalo to be higher than in 54% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding75%Strong wind9%Everything else17%

By hazard

What Buffalo faces

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

Inland flooding

75% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 75% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Strong wind

9% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Buffalo flood?

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

37paid claims since 1979

$479Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Ivan: 9 claims, $119K
Tropical Storm Lee: 6 claims, $103K
Hurricane Debby: 4 claims, $97K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Union County.

Disasters that hit Buffalo

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Union County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Buffalo itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into BuffaloDeclared for Union County only

Union County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and hurricanes.

Around Buffalo

Buffalo and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Lewisburgmostly inland floodingVery high

White Deermostly inland floodingHigh

Mifflinburgmostly inland floodingHigh

West Buffalomostly inland floodingHigh

Limestonemostly inland floodingHigh

Kellymostly inland floodingHigh

East Buffalomostly inland floodingModerate

Buffalomostly inland floodingModerate

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. Buffalo covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

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

FEMA’s expected losses across Buffalo total about $2.2M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

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.