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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Warson Woods · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Warson Woods than in 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Warson Woods gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then earthquakes (21%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2004.

River and rain flooding 68%Earthquakes 21%Hail 8%

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

more than 81%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Missouri · higher than 81% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
68% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 2004 · $101K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 30 declared for St. Louis County
By hazard

What Warson Woods 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

68%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

21%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Hurricanes Strong wind 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 20% of Warson Woods’ 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 Warson Woods’ grade

River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Warson Woods, and Warson Woods’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 8%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Warson Woods sits
Warson Woods
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Warson Woods’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding68%Earthquakes21%Hail8%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Warson Woods: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Warson Woods’ 2,018 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Warson Woods flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2004

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Warson Woods, from FEMA’s records: 3.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 1 claim2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200420222024
20042026
3
paid claims since 2004
$101K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$34K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: St. Louis County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Warson Woods

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

  1. 2022Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2006Severe Winter Storms$14K to the City of Warson Woods for repairs
  3. 2006Severe Storms$6K to the City of Warson Woods for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Warson WoodsSt. Louis County only

St. Louis County has had 30 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 Warson Woods after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Warson Woods archive →
Next door

Warson Woods and its neighbors

Warson Woods is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Kirkwood: hazard risk C+Ladue: hazard risk C−Glendale: hazard risk B−KirkwoodLadueGlendaleWarson Woods
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
GlendaleB−more damage than 52%river and rain flooding5
KirkwoodC+more damage than 57%river and rain flooding123
LadueC−more damage than 77%river and rain flooding217
Warson WoodsC−more damage than 81%river and rain flooding3

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 Warson Woods 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 ↗
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 Warson Woods

Is Warson Woods at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Warson Woods has higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and earthquakes (21%). 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 Warson Woods flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Warson Woods since 2004, $101K in all, or 3.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Warson Woods 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 St. Louis County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Warson Woods?

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

By FEMA money that reached Warson Woods, Severe Winter Storms (2006): $14K to the City of Warson Woods for repairs.

Is Warson Woods at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Warson Woods’ rate for it is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Warson Woods.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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