Natural hazards · Upper Merion

Upper Merion, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Upper Merion comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 93 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Upper Merion?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Upper Merion to be higher than in 33% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding68%Cold waves8%Heat waves6%Earthquakes5%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Upper Merion faces

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

Inland flooding

68% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 57% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Cold waves

8% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Heat waves

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 53% of U.S. places

Recorded about 11 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

5% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesStrong 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 Merion flood?

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

93paid claims since 1978

$5.4Mpaid to owners

12homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Ida: 12 claims, $1.7M
Hurricane Irene: 7 claims, $114K
Hurricane Isaias: 7 claims, $1.1M

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (3) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Upper Merion 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 Merion

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Upper MerionDeclared for Montgomery County only

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

Around Upper Merion

Upper Merion and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Bridgeportmostly inland floodingHigh

West Conshohockenmostly inland floodingHigh

Norristownmostly inland floodingHigh

West Norritonmostly inland floodingModerate

Upper Merionmostly inland floodingLow

Plymouthmostly inland floodingLow

Lower Merionmostly inland floodingLow

Schuylkillmostly inland floodingLow

Tredyffrinmostly inland floodingVery low

Lower Providencemostly inland floodingVery low

Radnormostly 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 Merion covers 13 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Upper Merion’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Upper Merion. 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 Merion total about $14.1M 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.