Natural hazards · Lehigh

Lehigh, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lehigh comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Lehigh?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Lehigh to be higher than in 28% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding50%Cold waves17%Heat waves9%Strong wind7%Lightning6%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Lehigh faces

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

Inland flooding

50% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 50% 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

Heat waves

9% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 9% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Strong wind

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lightning

6% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 44% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesAvalanches

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtTsunamisVolcanic 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 Lehigh flood?

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

9paid claims since 1979

$126Kpaid to owners

2homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Isaias: 2 claims, $19K
Hurricane Ida: 1 claim, $12K

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. Lehigh isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Carbon County.

Disasters that hit Lehigh

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into LehighDeclared for Carbon County only

Carbon County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.

Around Lehigh

Lehigh and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Nesquehoningmostly inland floodingModerate

Lehighmostly inland floodingLow

Weatherlymostly inland floodingLow

Lausannemostly inland floodingLow

Jim Thorpemostly inland floodingVery low

Kiddermostly inland floodingVery low

Penn Forestmostly 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. Lehigh covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lehigh’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Lehigh. 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 Lehigh total about $908K 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.