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Ozona SunsetPhoto: Mary Marconi, Coldwell Banker Realtor Palm Harbor, FL · CC BY-SA 4.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Palm Harbor · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Palm Harbor than in 69% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Palm Harbor gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #161 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (46%), then river and rain flooding (43%). Flood insurance has paid 1,678 claims here since 1979.

Hurricanes 46%River and rain flooding 43%Coastal flooding 5%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

more than 69%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#161 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
C#161 of 638
in Florida · higher than 69% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
46% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1,678
paid since 1979 · $94.2M
Disasters paid out here
10
of 32 declared for Pinellas County

What stands out about Palm Harbor’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

1,678 paid flood claims since 1979$94.2M in all. More per home than 93% of U.S. towns.Coastal flooding: the top 3% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts; it is 5.2% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants7 homes raised above flood level; 4 buildings retrofitted against wind with FEMA grants.Remembers 2024892 flood claims were paid for 2024 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Palm Harbor faces

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

Hurricanes

46%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

43%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 61% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Coastal flooding

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Lightning top 4% Strong wind Earthquakes Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Winter stormsIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 9% of Palm Harbor’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Palm Harbor’s grade

Hurricanes are 46% of the building damage FEMA expects in Palm Harbor, and Palm Harbor’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 5%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Palm Harbor sits
Palm Harbor
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #161 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Palm Harbor’s residents live in 14 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes46%River and rain flooding43%Coastal flooding5%Everything else5%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Palm Harbor has less expected damage per building than 75% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $19.6M a year in losses across Palm Harbor: $14.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Irma in 2017, FEMA took 7,079 aid registrations from Palm Harbor addresses (the town has 30,595 homes).
A firm figure. It combines 14 census tracts by where Palm Harbor’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Palm Harbor flood? Yes: 1,678 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Palm Harbor, from FEMA’s records: 54.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 19 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 3 claims1982: 9 claims1983: 2 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 33 claims1986: 2 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 1 claim1989: 0 claims1990: 1 claim1991: 6 claims1992: 1 claim1993: 454 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 5 claims1996: 51 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 4 claims1999: 79 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 2 claims2002: 2 claims2003: 2 claims2004: 9 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 2 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 2 claims2010: 4 claims2011: 2 claims2012: 17 claims2013: 2 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 11 claims2016: 2 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 56 claims2024: 892 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199319992024
19792026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Helene873 claims · $79.7M
  • The Blizzard of 1993451 claims · $8.0M
  • Hurricane Idalia55 claims · $2.2M
1,678
paid claims since 1979
$94.2M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$56K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Palm Harbor isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Pinellas County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
7homes raised above flood level
4buildings retrofitted against wind
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Palm Harbor

Disasters that paid out in Palm Harbor itself (aid to households or repair grants to Palm Harbor), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton5,476 households applied for aid$2.2M aid approved17 flood claims paid for it, $887K
  2. 2024Hurricane Helene2,618 households applied for aid$7.4M aid approved873 flood claims paid for it, $79.7M
  3. 2024Hurricane Debby128 households applied for aid$68K aid approved
  4. 2023Hurricane Idalia292 households applied for aid$301K aid approved55 flood claims paid for it, $2.2M
  5. 2022Hurricane Ian1,063 households applied for aid$179K aid approved
  6. 2017Hurricane Irma7,079 households applied for aid$1.8M aid approved
Show all 10
  1. 2016Hurricane Hermine13 households applied for aid$5K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2012Tropical Storm Debby96 households applied for aid$138K aid approved17 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2004Hurricane Jeanne287 households applied for aid$91K aid approved
  4. 2004Hurricane Frances115 households applied for aid$47K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Palm HarborPinellas County only

Pinellas County has had 32 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Pinellas County, 1999–2001.

Were you here?

Old photos of Palm Harbor after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Palm Harbor archive →
Next door

Palm Harbor and its neighbors

Palm Harbor is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Dunedin: hazard risk CTarpon Springs: hazard risk CEast Lake: hazard risk C−Clearwater: hazard risk B−DunedinTarpon SpringsEast LakeClearwaterPalm Harbor
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ClearwaterB−more damage than 53%hurricanes2,320
DunedinCmore damage than 66%hurricanes1,343
Tarpon SpringsCmore damage than 68%hurricanes1,116
Palm HarborCmore damage than 69%hurricanes1,678
East LakeC−more damage than 79%river and rain flooding52

Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.

Be ready

Get ready for what Palm Harbor faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the tide surges
  • Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
  • Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
  • Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Palm Harbor

Is Palm Harbor at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Palm Harbor has higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #161 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (46%) and river and rain flooding (43%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Palm Harbor flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1,678 claims in Palm Harbor since 1979, $94.2M in all, or 54.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (873).

Is Palm Harbor in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Pinellas County, 19.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Palm Harbor?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Palm Harbor’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Palm Harbor?

By FEMA money that reached Palm Harbor, Hurricane Helene (2024): 2,618 households applied for aid, $7.4M approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 873 paid, $79.7M.

Is Palm Harbor at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (46%), and Palm Harbor’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Palm Harbor.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Palm Harbor’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.