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Gwynnedd HallPhoto: Hshuvaeva · CC BY-SA 3.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Lower Gwynedd Township · FEMA

FEMA puts Lower Gwynedd Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Gwynedd Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #362 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 38 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 84%Hurricanes 5%Tornadoes 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

less than 83%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#362 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania
Hazard risk
A−#362 of 1,037
in Pennsylvania · lower than 83% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
84% of expected building damage
Flood claims
38
paid since 1978 · $614K
Flooded more than once
4
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
3
of 23 declared for Montgomery County

What stands out about Lower Gwynedd Township’s natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 83% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Remembers 201111 flood claims were paid for 2011 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Lower Gwynedd Township 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

84%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Winter storms Hail Lightning Wildfire Ice storms 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 8% of Lower Gwynedd Township’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 Lower Gwynedd Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lower Gwynedd Township, and Lower Gwynedd Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Lower Gwynedd Township sits
Lower Gwynedd Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #362 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Lower Gwynedd Township’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 flooding84%Hurricanes5%Tornadoes5%Everything else6%

The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Lower Gwynedd Township has less expected damage per building than 65% of Pennsylvania towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.1M a year in losses across Lower Gwynedd Township: $3.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Lower Gwynedd Township 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 Lower Gwynedd Township flood? Sometimes: 38 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lower Gwynedd Township, from FEMA’s records: 7.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 2 claims1979: 0 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 1 claim1986: 1 claim1987: 0 claims1988: 2 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 2 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 1 claim2002: 0 claims2003: 1 claim2004: 2 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 3 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 11 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 1 claim2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 5 claims2021: 3 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200920112020
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Lee7 claims · $120K
  • Hurricane Isaias4 claims · $90K
  • Hurricane Ida3 claims · $50K
38
paid claims since 1978
$614K
paid to owners
4
homes flooded more than once
$16K
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

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

Insurance rates: Montgomery County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lower Gwynedd Township

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

  1. 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida3 households applied for aid$35K aid approved3 flood claims paid for it, $50K
  2. 2011Tropical Storm Lee1 households applied for aid$4K aid approved7 flood claims paid for it, $120K
  3. 2011Hurricane Irene2 households applied for aid$20K aid approved3 flood claims paid for it, $63K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Lower Gwynedd TownshipMontgomery County only

Montgomery County has had 23 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 Lower Gwynedd Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Lower Gwynedd Township archive →
Next door

Lower Gwynedd Township and its neighbors

Lower Gwynedd Township is 2nd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Upper Gwynedd Township: hazard risk A−Whitpain Township: hazard risk A−Ambler: hazard risk A−Upper Dublin Township: hazard risk ASpring House: not gradedUpper Gwynedd TownshipWhitpain TownshipAmblerUpper Dublin TownshipSpring HouseLower Gwynedd Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Upper Dublin TownshipAless damage than 89%river and rain flooding180
Lower Gwynedd TownshipA−less damage than 83%river and rain flooding38
Upper Gwynedd TownshipA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding16
AmblerA−less damage than 80%river and rain flooding182
Whitpain TownshipA−less damage than 77%river and rain flooding32
Spring House—a Census area inside a town; graded with the town

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 Lower Gwynedd Township 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 Lower Gwynedd Township

Is Lower Gwynedd Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Gwynedd Township has lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #362 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Lower Gwynedd Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 38 claims in Lower Gwynedd Township since 1978, $614K in all, or 7.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (7).

Is Lower Gwynedd Township 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 Montgomery County, 47% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Lower Gwynedd Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lower Gwynedd Township’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 Lower Gwynedd Township?

By FEMA money that reached Lower Gwynedd Township, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (2021): 3 households applied for aid, $35K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 7 paid, $120K.

Is Lower Gwynedd Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Lower Gwynedd Township’s rate for it is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lower Gwynedd Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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