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RappHouseOldEconomyPAPhoto: Lee Paxton · CC BY-SA 4.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Ambridge · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Ambridge faces less hazard damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ambridge gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns, #523 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2004.

River and rain flooding 92%Tornadoes 3%Hail 2%

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

less than 70%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#523 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania
Hazard risk
B+#523 of 1,037
in Pennsylvania · lower than 70% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 2004 · $103K
Disasters paid out here
2
of 12 declared for Beaver County
By hazard

What Ambridge faces

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

River and rain flooding

92%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Earthquakes Hurricanes Ice storms Winter storms Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Ambridge’s grade

River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ambridge, and Ambridge’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Ambridge sits
Ambridge
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #523 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Ambridge’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding92%Tornadoes3%Everything else4%

The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Ambridge has more expected damage per building than 50% of Pennsylvania towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Ambridge: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Ambridge covers 3 census tracts, combined by where 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 Ambridge flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2004

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ambridge, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2004: 3 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2004
20042026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Ivan3 claims · $103K
3
paid claims since 2004
$103K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$34K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Beaver County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ambridge

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

  1. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan67 households applied for aid$279K aid approved3 flood claims paid for it, $103K
  2. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding Associated with Tropical Depression Frances8 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in AmbridgeBeaver County only

Beaver County has had 12 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Ambridge archive →
Next door

Ambridge and its neighbors

Ambridge is 3rd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Harmony Township: hazard risk AAmbridge Heights: not gradedLeetsdale: hazard risk C−Leet Township: hazard risk DAliquippa: hazard risk A−South Heights: not gradedHarmony TownshipAmbridge HeightsLeetsdaleLeet TownshipAliquippaSouth HeightsAmbridge
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Harmony TownshipAless damage than 93%river and rain flooding51
AliquippaA−less damage than 81%river and rain flooding37
AmbridgeB+less damage than 70%river and rain flooding3
LeetsdaleC−more damage than 83%river and rain flooding4
Leet TownshipDmore damage than 89%river and rain flooding23
Ambridge Heights—a Census area inside a town; graded with the town
South Heights—408 residents; we grade 1,000+

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 Ambridge faces

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

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 ↗
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 Ambridge

Is Ambridge at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ambridge has lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #523 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Ambridge flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Ambridge since 2004, $103K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (3).

Is Ambridge 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 Beaver County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Ambridge?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ambridge’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 Ambridge?

By FEMA money that reached Ambridge, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 67 households applied for aid, $279K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 3 paid, $103K.

Is Ambridge at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Ambridge’s rate for it is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ambridge.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ambridge’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.