Natural hazards · Kingston

Kingston, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Kingston comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 19 claims here since 1981.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Kingston?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Kingston to be higher than in 11% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding60%Cold waves17%Tornadoes5%Heat waves5%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Kingston faces

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

Inland flooding

60% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 31% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

17% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 47% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

5% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 38% of U.S. places

Heat waves

5% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 10% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Kingston flood?

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

19paid claims since 1981

$138Kpaid to owners

3homes flooded more than once

19812026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Lee: 2 claims, $3K
Tropical Storm Ivan: 2 claims, $10K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Luzerne County.

Disasters that hit Kingston

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into KingstonDeclared for Luzerne County only

Luzerne County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.

Around Kingston

Kingston and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Luzernemostly inland floodingHigh

Franklinmostly inland floodingLow

Swoyersvillemostly inland floodingLow

West Wyomingmostly inland floodingLow

Jacksonmostly inland floodingVery low

Courtdalemostly inland floodingVery low

Kingstonmostly inland floodingVery low

Dallasmostly 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. Kingston covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Kingston’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Kingston. 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 Kingston total about $1.2M 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.