Photo: Dincher · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Montoursville faces more hazard damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Montoursville gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #1,012 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 128 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 Montoursville’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Montoursville 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
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 Montoursville’s grade
River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Montoursville, and Montoursville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
D #1,012 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Montoursville’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Montoursville has more expected damage per building than 98% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Montoursville: $2.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Montoursville flood? Yes: 128 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Montoursville, from FEMA’s records: 50.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee39 claims · $1.8M
- Tropical Storm Ivan28 claims · $322K
Montoursville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lycoming County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Montoursville
Disasters that paid out in Montoursville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Montoursville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Tropical Storm Debby15 households applied for aid$30K aid approved
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee225 households applied for aid$826K aid approved39 flood claims paid for it, $1.8M
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan78 households applied for aid$142K aid approved28 flood claims paid for it, $322K
Lycoming County has had 17 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.
Old photos of Montoursville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Montoursville archive →Montoursville and its neighbors
Montoursville is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 57 |
| Loyalsock Township | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 263 |
| Montoursville | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 128 |
| Armstrong Township | — | 536 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Kenmar | — | 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.
Get ready for what Montoursville 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.
- 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 Montoursville
Is Montoursville at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Montoursville has higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #1,012 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). 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 Montoursville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 128 claims in Montoursville since 1978, $2.7M in all, or 50.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 26 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (39).
Is Montoursville 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 Lycoming County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Montoursville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Montoursville’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 Montoursville?
By FEMA money that reached Montoursville, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 225 households applied for aid, $826K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 39 paid, $1.8M.
Is Montoursville at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Montoursville’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Montoursville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Montoursville’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.