Photo: Ruhrfisch · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Wellsboro as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wellsboro gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #746 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 3 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 Wellsboro 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 Wellsboro’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wellsboro, and Wellsboro’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #746 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Wellsboro’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, Wellsboro has more expected damage per building than 72% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Wellsboro: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wellsboro flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wellsboro, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 65% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Wellsboro isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Tioga County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wellsboro
Disasters that paid out in Wellsboro itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Wellsboro), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Tropical Storm Debby10 households applied for aid$750 aid approved
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan18 households applied for aid$34K aid approved
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding8 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
Tioga County has had 16 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Wellsboro after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wellsboro archive →Wellsboro and its neighbors
Wellsboro has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wellsboro | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Charleston Township | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Delmar Township | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Wellsboro 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 Wellsboro
Is Wellsboro at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wellsboro has lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #746 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 Wellsboro flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Wellsboro since 1978, $2K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 65% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Wellsboro 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 Tioga County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Wellsboro?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wellsboro’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 Wellsboro?
By FEMA money that reached Wellsboro, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 18 households applied for aid, $34K approved.
Is Wellsboro at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Wellsboro’s rate for it is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wellsboro.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wellsboro’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.