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A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Upper St. Clair Township · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Upper St. Clair Township faces less hazard damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Upper St. Clair Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #115 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 32 claims here since 1980.

River and rain flooding 93%Tornadoes 3%Earthquakes 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 95%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#115 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania
Hazard risk
A+#115 of 1,037
in Pennsylvania · lower than 95% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
93% of expected building damage
Flood claims
32
paid since 1980 · $1.1M
Flooded more than once
5
properties
Flood insurance
15% off
Community discount (class 7)

What stands out about Upper St. Clair Township’s natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 95% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.15% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns Upper St. Clair Township residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7).Moved out of harm’s way1 flood-prone property bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 20138 flood claims were paid for 2013 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Upper St. Clair 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

93%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 7 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Hurricanes Winter storms Wildfire Ice storms Lightning Hail 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 13% of Upper St. Clair 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 Upper St. Clair Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Upper St. Clair Township, and Upper St. Clair Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Upper St. Clair Township sits
Upper St. Clair Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ #115 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Upper St. Clair Township’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding93%Tornadoes3%Everything else4%

The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Upper St. Clair Township has less expected damage per building than 89% of Pennsylvania towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.2M a year in losses across Upper St. Clair Township: $3.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Upper St. Clair Township covers 5 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 Upper St. Clair Township flood? Sometimes: 32 flood claims since 1980

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Upper St. Clair Township, from FEMA’s records: 4.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1980: 2 claims1981: 1 claim1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 1 claim1991: 1 claim1992: 0 claims1993: 1 claim1994: 0 claims1995: 1 claim1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 1 claim2000: 1 claim2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 7 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 8 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 7 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200420132018
19802026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Ivan6 claims · $76K
  • Hurricane Ida1 claim · $4K
32
paid claims since 1980
$1.1M
paid to owners
5
homes flooded more than once
$34K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
Community discount15% off flood insurance

Upper St. Clair Township is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Allegheny County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Upper St. Clair Township

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

  1. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan2 households applied for aid$370 aid approved6 flood claims paid for it, $76K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Upper St. Clair TownshipAllegheny County only

Allegheny 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 Upper St. Clair Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Upper St. Clair Township archive →
Next door

Upper St. Clair Township and its neighbors

Upper St. Clair Township is 3rd of the 7 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

South Fayette Township: hazard risk ABridgeville: hazard risk B−Scott Township: hazard risk ABethel Park: hazard risk A+Peters Township: hazard risk AMount Lebanon: hazard risk A+South Fayette TownshipBridgevilleScott TownshipBethel ParkPeters TownshipMount LebanonUpper St. Clair Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Mount LebanonA+less damage than 98%river and rain flooding12
Bethel ParkA+less damage than 98%river and rain flooding70
Upper St. Clair TownshipA+less damage than 95%river and rain flooding32
Peters TownshipAless damage than 94%river and rain flooding20
Scott TownshipAless damage than 89%river and rain flooding218
South Fayette TownshipAless damage than 89%river and rain flooding64
BridgevilleB−less damage than 54%river and rain flooding192

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 Upper St. Clair 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.
  • Upper St. Clair Township residents get 15% off flood insurance.
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 Upper St. Clair Township

Is Upper St. Clair Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Upper St. Clair Township has lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #115 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Upper St. Clair Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 32 claims in Upper St. Clair Township since 1980, $1.1M in all, or 4.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (6).

Is Upper St. Clair 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 Allegheny County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Upper St. Clair Township?

Upper St. Clair Township is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7), which takes 15% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Upper St. Clair Township?

By FEMA money that reached Upper St. Clair Township, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 2 households applied for aid, $370 approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 6 paid, $76K.

Is Upper St. Clair Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Upper St. Clair Township’s rate for it is lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Upper St. Clair Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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