Natural hazards · Upper Frederick

Upper Frederick, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Upper Frederick comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Upper Frederick?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Upper Frederick to be higher than in 18% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding56%Cold waves15%Heat waves8%Tornadoes7%Everything else14%

By hazard

What Upper Frederick faces

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

Inland flooding

56% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 40% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Cold waves

15% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 25% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Heat waves

8% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 51% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce 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 Upper Frederick flood?

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

6paid claims since 1979

$14Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 1 claim, $728
March 2010 Nor'easter: 1 claim, $931
Tropical Storm Ivan: 1 claim, $4K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Montgomery County.

Disasters that hit Upper Frederick

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Upper FrederickDeclared for Montgomery County only

Montgomery County has had 24 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.

Around Upper Frederick

Upper Frederick and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Lower Frederickmostly inland floodingModerate

Marlboroughmostly inland floodingModerate

Green Lanemostly inland floodingModerate

New Hanovermostly inland floodingModerate

Upper Hanovermostly inland floodingLow

Upper Frederickmostly 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. Upper Frederick covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Upper Frederick’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Upper Frederick. 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 Upper Frederick total about $844K 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.