Natural hazards · Wharton

Wharton, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Wharton comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1996.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Wharton?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

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

Inland flooding82%Tornadoes7%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Wharton faces

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

Inland flooding

82% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 37% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 46% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 42 years in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Wharton flood?

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

4paid claims since 1996

$357Kpaid to owners

1homes flooded more than once

19962026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Debby: 2 claims, $195K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Fayette County.

Disasters that hit Wharton

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into WhartonDeclared for Fayette County only

Fayette County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and severe storms.

Around Wharton

Wharton and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Springhillmostly inland floodingModerate

Georgesmostly inland floodingLow

Stewartmostly inland floodingLow

Henry Claymostly inland floodingLow

North Unionmostly inland floodingVery low

Whartonmostly inland floodingVery low

South Unionmostly 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. Wharton covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Wharton’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Wharton. 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 Wharton total about $759K 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.