Photo: Nicholas · CC BY 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Lower Windsor Township faces less hazard damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Windsor Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #542 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then hurricanes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 118 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 Lower Windsor Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Lower Windsor 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
Hurricanes
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 Lower Windsor Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lower Windsor Township, and Lower Windsor Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 16% (higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #542 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lower Windsor Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Lower Windsor Township has more expected damage per building than 52% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Lower Windsor Township: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lower Windsor Township flood? Yes: 118 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lower Windsor Township, from FEMA’s records: 37.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee2 claims · $10K
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $9K
Lower Windsor 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: York County.The storms Lower Windsor Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for York County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lower Windsor Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199645 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for York County
- 197836 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 197927 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
York County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Lower Windsor Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lower Windsor Township archive →Lower Windsor Township and its neighbors
Lower Windsor Township is 3rd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windsor Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Chanceford Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Lower Windsor Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 118 |
| Hellam Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 111 |
| Manor Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 133 |
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 Lower Windsor 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Lower Windsor Township
Is Lower Windsor Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Windsor Township has lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #542 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and hurricanes (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lower Windsor Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 118 claims in Lower Windsor Township since 1978, $1.8M in all, or 37.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 8 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (2).
Is Lower Windsor 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 York County, 30% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lower Windsor Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lower Windsor 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 Windsor Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 2 paid, $10K.
Is Lower Windsor Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Lower Windsor Township’s rate for it is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lower Windsor Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lower Windsor 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.