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James Beauchamp Clark HouseJames Beauchamp Clark House · Photo: MustardsMom · CC BY-SA 4.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Bowling Green · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Bowling Green faces less hazard damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bowling Green gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, #18 of 247 in Missouri. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then earthquakes (10%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 66%Earthquakes 10%Tornadoes 10%

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 73%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#18 of 247 in Missouri
Hazard risk
B+#18 of 247
in Missouri · lower than 73% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
66% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 21 declared for Pike County
By hazard

What Bowling Green 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

66%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

10%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

10%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Lightning top 1% Ice storms Winter storms Wildfire Hurricanes 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 heat waves at 31% of Bowling Green’s expected losses. Heat 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 Bowling Green’s grade

River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bowling Green, and Bowling Green’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 10% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Bowling Green sits
Bowling Green
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #18 of 247 in Missouri; lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Bowling Green’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding66%Earthquakes10%Tornadoes10%Everything else13%

The typical Missouri town has higher expected damage than 59% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bowling Green has less expected damage per building than 93% of Missouri towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Bowling Green: $894K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Bowling Green covers 2 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 Bowling Green flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bowling Green. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Pike County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bowling Green

Disasters that paid out in Bowling Green itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Bowling Green), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2019Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
  2. 2007Severe Winter Storms$23K to the City of Bowling Green for repairs
  3. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding19 households applied for aid$33K aid approved$35K to the City of Bowling Green for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Bowling GreenPike County only

Pike County has had 21 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 Bowling Green after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Bowling Green archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Bowling Green 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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
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 Bowling Green

Is Bowling Green at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bowling Green has lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #18 of 247 in Missouri. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and earthquakes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Bowling Green 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 Pike County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Bowling Green?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bowling Green’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 Bowling Green?

By FEMA money that reached Bowling Green, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2003): 19 households applied for aid, $33K approved, and $35K to the City of Bowling Green for repairs.

Is Bowling Green at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Bowling Green’s rate for it is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bowling Green.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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