Photo: Rmisiak at English Wikipedia · Public domainFEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Winchester as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Winchester gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns, #7 of 42 in Nevada. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%), then earthquakes (45%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1980.
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 Winchester 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
Earthquakes
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 Winchester’s grade
River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Winchester, and Winchester’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 45% (higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #7 of 42 in Nevada; lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Winchester’s residents live in 12 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Nevada town has higher expected damage than 81% of U.S. towns; within the state, Winchester has less expected damage per building than 85% of Nevada towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $17.1M a year in losses across Winchester: $9.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Winchester flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Winchester, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Winchester isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Clark County.The storms Winchester remembers
None of the 6 disasters declared for Clark County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Winchester itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19992 flood claims paidThe year of Nv - Flash Flooding 7/8/99, declared for Clark County
- 19801 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19841 flood claims paidThe year of Heavy Rains and Flooding, declared for Clark County
Clark County has had 6 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 5 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Clark County, 2002–2013.
Old photos of Winchester after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Winchester archive →Winchester and its neighbors
Winchester is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrise Manor | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 52 |
| Las Vegas | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 121 |
| Winchester | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Paradise | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 62 |
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 Winchester 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Winchester
Is Winchester at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Winchester has lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #7 of 42 in Nevada. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%) and earthquakes (45%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Winchester flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Winchester since 1980, $111K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Winchester 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 Clark County, 30% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Winchester?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Winchester’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Winchester at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Winchester’s rate for it is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Winchester.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Winchester’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.