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BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Lehighton · FEMA

FEMA puts Lehighton’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lehighton gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #636 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1983.

River and rain flooding 86%Hurricanes 6%Tornadoes 3%

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 62%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#636 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania
Hazard risk
B#636 of 1,037
in Pennsylvania · lower than 62% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
86% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 1983 · $4K
Flooded more than once
1
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
3
of 15 declared for Carbon County
By hazard

What Lehighton 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

86%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 19 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Earthquakes Hail Winter storms Ice storms Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 16% of Lehighton’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 Lehighton’s grade

River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lehighton, and Lehighton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Lehighton sits
Lehighton
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B #636 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Lehighton’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding86%Hurricanes6%Everything else8%

The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Lehighton has more expected damage per building than 61% of Pennsylvania towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Lehighton: $957K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Lehighton’s 5,248 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Lehighton flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1983

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lehighton, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1983: 1 claim1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 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 claims19831996
19832026
2
paid claims since 1983
$4K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$2K
average claim
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

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

Insurance rates: Carbon County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lehighton

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

  1. 2011Hurricane Irene1 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
  2. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides55 households applied for aid$116K aid approved
  3. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan8 households applied for aid$23K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in LehightonCarbon County only

Carbon County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Lehighton archive →
Next door

Lehighton and its neighbors

Lehighton is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Mahoning Township: hazard risk B+Franklin Township: hazard risk C+Weissport: not gradedMahoning TownshipFranklin TownshipWeissportLehighton
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Mahoning TownshipB+less damage than 67%river and rain flooding2
LehightonBless damage than 62%river and rain flooding2
Franklin TownshipC+more damage than 65%river and rain flooding6
Weissport—506 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 Lehighton 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Lehighton

Is Lehighton at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lehighton has lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #636 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and hurricanes (6%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Lehighton flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Lehighton since 1983, $4K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Lehighton 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 Carbon County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Lehighton?

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

By FEMA money that reached Lehighton, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2006): 55 households applied for aid, $116K approved.

Is Lehighton at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Lehighton’s rate for it is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lehighton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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