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Natural hazards · North Whitehall

North Whitehall, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in North Whitehall comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1979.

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

How exposed is North Whitehall?

14
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in North Whitehall to be higher than in 14% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding47%Cold waves25%Hurricanes7%Heat waves6%Everything else15%
By hazard

What North Whitehall faces

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

Inland flooding

47% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 28% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Cold waves

25% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 33% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

7% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 17 years in the area

Heat waves

6% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 15% of U.S. places
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 North Whitehall flood?

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

8paid claims since 1979
$84Kpaid to owners
1homes flooded more than once
19792026

Biggest named events

  • Tropical Storm Ivan: 1 claim, $19K
  • Hurricane Irene: 1 claim, $50K
  • Hurricane Isaias: 1 claim, $959

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. North Whitehall isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lehigh County.
Disasters that hit North Whitehall

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into North WhitehallDeclared for Lehigh County only
Lehigh County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.
Around North Whitehall

North Whitehall and the towns around it

Lehigh: Low, mostly inland floodingLowhill: Moderate, mostly inland floodingAllen: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWhitehall: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSouth Whitehall: Low, mostly inland floodingWashington: Low, mostly inland floodingHeidelberg: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWalnutport: Moderate, mostly inland floodingLower Towamensing: High, mostly inland floodingSlatington: High, mostly inland floodingMoore: Low, mostly inland floodingEast Penn: Low, mostly inland floodingUpper Macungie: Very low, mostly inland floodingWeisenberg: Very low, mostly inland floodingNorthampton: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNorth Catasauqua: High, mostly inland floodingEast Allen: Low, mostly inland floodingAllentown: Moderate, mostly inland floodingCatasauqua: High, mostly inland floodingHanover: Very low, mostly inland floodingCoplay: Moderate, mostly inland floodingLower Macungie: Low, mostly inland floodingSalisbury: Low, mostly inland floodingLynn: Low, mostly inland floodingWest Penn: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNorth Whitehall: Very low, mostly inland flooding North WhitehallLehighLowhillAllenWhitehallSouth WhitehallWashingtonHeidelberg
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Lowhillmostly inland floodingModerate
Heidelbergmostly inland floodingModerate
Whitehallmostly inland floodingModerate
Allenmostly inland floodingModerate
Washingtonmostly inland floodingLow
South Whitehallmostly inland floodingLow
Lehighmostly inland floodingLow
North Whitehallmostly 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. North Whitehall covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to North Whitehall’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of North Whitehall. 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 North Whitehall total about $4.9M 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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