Natural hazards · Middletown

Middletown, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Middletown comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 273 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Middletown?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

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

Inland flooding64%Earthquakes9%Cold waves6%Tornadoes5%Hurricanes5%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Middletown faces

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

Inland flooding

64% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 41% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 67% of U.S. places

Cold waves

6% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 26% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

5% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 45% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

5% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Middletown flood?

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

273paid claims since 1978

$5.9Mpaid to owners

36homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Floyd: 51 claims, $2.6M
Hurricane Irene: 17 claims, $280K
Tropical Storm Allison: 11 claims, $284K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (14) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Bucks County.

Disasters that hit Middletown

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into MiddletownDeclared for Bucks County only

Bucks County has had 21 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.

Around Middletown

Middletown and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Hulmevillemostly inland floodingModerate

Bristolmostly inland floodingModerate

Lower Makefieldmostly inland floodingLow

Bensalemmostly inland floodingLow

Fallsmostly inland floodingLow

Middletownmostly inland floodingLow

Northamptonmostly inland floodingLow

Newtownmostly inland floodingVery low

Lower Southamptonmostly inland floodingVery low

Langhorne Manormostly inland floodingVery low

Langhornemostly 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. Middletown covers 9 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Middletown’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Middletown. 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 Middletown total about $11.9M 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.