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Downtown Springfield, MO and Hammons FieldPhoto: Raschmidt87 · CC BY-SA 4.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Springfield · FEMA

FEMA puts Springfield’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Springfield gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns, #15 of 247 in Missouri. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%), then earthquakes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 81 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 56%Earthquakes 15%Tornadoes 11%

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 74%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#15 of 247 in Missouri
Hazard risk
B+#15 of 247
in Missouri · lower than 74% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
56% of expected building damage
Flood claims
81
paid since 1978 · $2.0M
Flooded more than once
12
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
12
of 23 declared for Greene County

What stands out about Springfield’s natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 74% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Made safer with FEMA grants21 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared; 8 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.Remembers 200817 flood claims were paid for 2008 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Springfield 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

56%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

15%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

11%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts

Ice storms

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind Winter storms top 2% Lightning Hurricanes Wildfire 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 17% of Springfield’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 Springfield’s grade

River and rain flooding is 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Springfield, and Springfield’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 10%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Springfield sits
Springfield
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #15 of 247 in Missouri; lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Springfield’s residents live in 64 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding56%Earthquakes15%Tornadoes11%Everything else19%

The typical Missouri town has higher expected damage than 59% of U.S. towns; within the state, Springfield has less expected damage per building than 94% of Missouri towns.

Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Springfield has lower expected damage per building than 85% (#61 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $55.5M, is the 223th largest of those 400.

A firm figure. It combines 64 census tracts by where Springfield’s 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 Springfield flood? Sometimes: 81 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Springfield, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 2 claims1979: 1 claim1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 6 claims1994: 1 claim1995: 0 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 11 claims2001: 1 claim2002: 6 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 17 claims2009: 7 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 2 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 9 claims2016: 7 claims2017: 2 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 1 claim2023: 2 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 1 claim2026: 2 claims200020082015
19782026
Biggest named events
  • The Early winter storms9 claims · $176K
  • The March storm4 claims · $13K
  • The Late spring severe storms2 claims · $10K
81
paid claims since 1978
$2.0M
paid to owners
12
homes flooded more than once
$24K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Greene County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
21flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
8storm safe rooms built
Disasters

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Springfield

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$2.3M to the City of Springfield for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2019Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding24 households applied for aid$33K aid approved
  3. 2017Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding78 households applied for aid$95K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding547 households applied for aid$457K aid approved$282K to the City of Springfield for repairs9 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2009Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding43 households applied for aid$33K aid approved$23K to the City of Springfield for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
  6. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding97 households applied for aid$173K aid approved
Show all 12
  1. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding321 households applied for aid$347K aid approved
  2. 2008Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$431K to the City of Springfield for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$14.6M to the City of Springfield for repairs
  4. 2006Severe Winter Storms$129K to the City of Springfield for repairs
  5. 2006Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding25 households applied for aid$4K aid approved$577K to the City of Springfield for repairs
  6. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding21 households applied for aid$8K aid approved$192K to the City of Springfield for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SpringfieldGreene County only

Greene County has had 23 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 Springfield after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Springfield archive →
Next door

Springfield and its neighbors

Springfield has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Republic: hazard risk BWillard: hazard risk B−RepublicWillardSpringfield
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
SpringfieldB+less damage than 74%river and rain flooding81
RepublicBless damage than 65%river and rain flooding13
WillardB−more damage than 50%river and rain flooding—

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 Springfield 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 ↗
Ice storms
  • Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
  • Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
  • Keep sand or salt by the door.
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 Springfield

Is Springfield at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Springfield has lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #15 of 247 in Missouri. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%) and earthquakes (15%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Springfield flood?

Flood insurance has paid 81 claims in Springfield since 1978, $2.0M in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 12 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Early winter storms (9).

Is Springfield 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 Greene County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Springfield?

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

By FEMA money that reached Springfield, Severe Winter Storms and Flooding (2007): $14.6M to the City of Springfield for repairs. By flood claims, Early winter storms: 9 paid, $176K.

Is Springfield at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Springfield’s rate for it is lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Springfield.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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