Natural hazards · Washington

Washington, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Washington comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2011.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Washington?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Washington to be higher than in 37% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding54%Cold waves24%Heat waves6%Hurricanes5%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Washington faces

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

Inland flooding

54% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Cold waves

24% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 33% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year 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

Hurricanes

5% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 17 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDroughtAvalanches

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic 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 Washington flood?

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

6paid claims since 2011

$99Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20112026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Isaias: 3 claims, $59K
Hurricane Ida: 2 claims, $16K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Washington 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 Washington

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into WashingtonDeclared for Lehigh County only

Lehigh County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.

Around Washington

Washington and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Slatingtonmostly inland floodingHigh

Walnutportmostly inland floodingModerate

Heidelbergmostly inland floodingModerate

East Pennmostly inland floodingLow

Washingtonmostly 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. Washington covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Washington’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Washington. 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 Washington total about $2.2M 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.