Natural hazards · Downingtown

Downingtown, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Downingtown comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 336 claims here since 1978. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Downingtown?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Downingtown to be higher than in 69% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding80%Everything else20%

By hazard

What Downingtown faces

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

Inland flooding

80% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Downingtown flood?

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

336paid claims since 1978

$8.3Mpaid to owners

57homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Ida: 83 claims, $5.9M
Hurricane Floyd: 33 claims, $184K
Mid-spring storms: 32 claims, $423K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (7) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Chester County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

17flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters that hit Downingtown

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into DowningtownDeclared for Chester County only

2021

Remnants of Hurricane Ida

597 households applied for aid $1.8M aid approved

2011

Tropical Storm Lee

10 households applied for aid $3K aid approved

2011

Hurricane Irene

69 households applied for aid $58K aid approved

2006

Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides

106 households applied for aid $151K aid approved

2004

Tropical Depression Ivan

18 households applied for aid $23K aid approved

2003

Tropical Storms Henri and Isabel and Related Severe Storms and Flooding

142 households applied for aid $313K aid approved

Chester County has had 22 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.

Around Downingtown

Downingtown and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Downingtownmostly inland floodingHigh

Calnmostly inland floodingLow

East Calnmostly inland floodingVery low

West Bradfordmostly 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. Downingtown covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Downingtown’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Borough of Downingtown. 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 Downingtown total about $4.0M 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.