Natural hazards · Cheltenham

Cheltenham, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Cheltenham comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 291 claims here since 1978. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Cheltenham?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Cheltenham to be higher than in 24% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding56%Cold waves12%Earthquakes9%Heat waves9%Tornadoes6%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Cheltenham faces

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

Inland flooding

56% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 42% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Cold waves

12% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 25% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. places

Heat waves

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 53% of U.S. places

Recorded about 11 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 50% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

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 Cheltenham flood?

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

291paid claims since 1978

$6.1Mpaid to owners

47homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Lee: 55 claims, $961K
Tropical Storm Allison: 38 claims, $1.4M
Hurricane Irene: 31 claims, $369K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (12) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Montgomery County.

Disasters that hit Cheltenham

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into CheltenhamDeclared for Montgomery County only

2021

Remnants of Hurricane Ida

119 households applied for aid $202K aid approved

2011

Tropical Storm Lee

8 households applied for aid $10K aid approved

2011

Hurricane Irene

65 households applied for aid $89K aid approved

2004

Tropical Depression Ivan

3 households applied for aid $5K aid approved

2004

Severe Storms and Flooding

3 households applied for aid $5K aid approved

Montgomery County has had 24 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.

Around Cheltenham

Cheltenham and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Philadelphiamostly inland floodingModerate

Cheltenhammostly inland floodingLow

Springfieldmostly inland floodingLow

Abingtonmostly inland floodingVery low

Jenkintownmostly 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. Cheltenham covers 10 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Cheltenham’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Cheltenham. 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 Cheltenham total about $11.1M 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.