Photo: Jackdude101 · CC BY-SA 4.0For coastal flooding, St. Petersburg’s building-damage rate is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Petersburg gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #92 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (46%), then river and rain flooding (37%). Flood insurance has paid 13,766 claims here since 1978.
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
What stands out about St. Petersburg’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What St. Petersburg faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
Coastal flooding
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.
What’s behind St. Petersburg’s grade
Hurricanes are 46% of the building damage FEMA expects in St. Petersburg, and St. Petersburg’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 11%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #92 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
St. Petersburg’s residents live in 83 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, St. Petersburg has less expected damage per building than 86% of Florida towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, St. Petersburg has higher expected damage per building than 52% (#210 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $74.7M, is the 160th largest of those 400.
Does St. Petersburg flood? Yes: 13,766 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in St. Petersburg, from FEMA’s records: 97.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Helene7,127 claims · $1,059M
- Hurricane Elena1,689 claims · $20.9M
- Hurricane Josephine1,316 claims · $25.3M
St. Petersburg is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Pinellas County.12 federal disasters brought FEMA money to St. Petersburg
Disasters that paid out in St. Petersburg itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of St. Petersburg), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton76,353 households applied for aid$82.6M aid approved$54.7M to the City of St. Petersburg for repairs615 flood claims paid for it, $41.5M
- 2024Hurricane Helene43,316 households applied for aid$142M aid approved$14.9M to the City of St. Petersburg for repairs7,127 flood claims paid for it, $1.06B
- 2024Hurricane Debby3,496 households applied for aid$2.1M aid approved
- 2023Hurricane Idalia9,036 households applied for aid$8.9M aid approved$2.4M to the City of St. Petersburg for repairs931 flood claims paid for it, $81.0M
- 2022Hurricane Ian22,116 households applied for aid$7.4M aid approved$6.0M to the City of St. Petersburg for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2017Hurricane Irma54,146 households applied for aid$18.3M aid approved$8.3M to the City of St. Petersburg for repairs10 flood claims paid that year
Show all 12
- 2016Hurricane Hermine271 households applied for aid$64K aid approved$956K to the City of St. Petersburg for repairs23 flood claims paid that year
- 2012Tropical Storm Debby982 households applied for aid$814K aid approved$122K to the City of St. Petersburg for repairs47 flood claims paid that year
- 2008Tropical Storm Fay$87K to the City of St. Petersburg for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne3,099 households applied for aid$3.9M aid approved$1.3M to the City of St. Petersburg for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Frances1,294 households applied for aid$1.3M aid approved$663K to the City of St. Petersburg for repairs
- 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley1 households applied for aid$5K aid approved$363K to the City of St. Petersburg for repairs
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.
Old photos of St. Petersburg after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the St. Petersburg archive →St. Petersburg and its neighbors
St. Petersburg is 6th of the 11 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gulfport | B−more damage than 52% | hurricanes | 629 |
| Tierra Verde | C+more damage than 56% | hurricanes | — |
| Bear Creek | C+more damage than 56% | hurricanes | — |
| South Pasadena | C+more damage than 59% | hurricanes | 378 |
| Feather Sound | C+more damage than 60% | hurricanes | — |
| St. Petersburg | C+more damage than 61% | hurricanes | 13,766 |
| Lealman | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 61 |
| Treasure Island | C−more damage than 75% | coastal flooding | 2,857 |
| St. Pete Beach | C−more damage than 76% | coastal flooding | 3,119 |
| Kenneth City | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| West Lealman | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 290 |
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.
Get ready for what St. Petersburg faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- St. Petersburg residents get 25% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in St. Petersburg
Is St. Petersburg at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Petersburg has higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #92 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (46%) and river and rain flooding (37%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does St. Petersburg flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13,766 claims in St. Petersburg since 1978, $1.27B in all, or 97.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1,258 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (7,127).
Is St. Petersburg 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 St. Petersburg?
St. Petersburg is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5), which takes 25% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in St. Petersburg?
By FEMA money that reached St. Petersburg, Hurricane Helene (2024): 43,316 households applied for aid, $142M approved, and $14.9M to the City of St. Petersburg for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 7,127 paid, $1.06B.
Is St. Petersburg at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (46%), and St. Petersburg’s rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. Petersburg.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where St. Petersburg’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.