Natural hazards · Whitehall

Whitehall, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Whitehall comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 45 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Whitehall?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Whitehall to be higher than in 46% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding57%Cold waves21%Heat waves5%Everything else17%

By hazard

What Whitehall faces

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

Inland flooding

57% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Cold waves

21% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Heat waves

5% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 15% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce 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 Whitehall flood?

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

45paid claims since 1978

$256Kpaid to owners

7homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 10 claims, $22K
Hurricane Isaias: 5 claims, $45K
Tropical Storm Ivan: 3 claims, $15K

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. 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 Whitehall

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into WhitehallDeclared for Lehigh County only

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

Around Whitehall

Whitehall and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Catasauquamostly inland floodingHigh

North Catasauquamostly inland floodingHigh

Northamptonmostly inland floodingModerate

Whitehallmostly inland floodingModerate

Allentownmostly inland floodingModerate

Coplaymostly inland floodingModerate

South Whitehallmostly inland floodingLow

North Whitehallmostly inland floodingVery low

Hanovermostly 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. Whitehall covers 6 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Whitehall’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of 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 Whitehall total about $10.8M 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.