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B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Westby · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Westby than in 75% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Westby gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%), then tornadoes (12%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 75%Tornadoes 12%Hail 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 75%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Wisconsin · lower than 75% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
75% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
6
of 20 declared for Vernon County

What stands out about Westby’s natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 75% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Moved out of harm’s way1 flood-prone property bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Westby 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

75%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

12%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Lightning Earthquakes Winter storms Hurricanes Wildfire Ice storms 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 cold waves at 49% of Westby’s expected losses. Cold 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 Westby’s grade

River and rain flooding is 75% of the building damage FEMA expects in Westby, and Westby’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 12% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Westby sits
Westby
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding75%Tornadoes12%Hail10%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Westby: $553K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding in 2026, FEMA took 238 aid registrations from Westby addresses (the town has 1,085 homes).
Shared tract.All of Westby’s 2,332 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 Westby flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Westby. 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

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

Insurance rates: Vernon County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Westby

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

  1. 2026Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding238 households applied for aid$250K aid approved
  2. 2019Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$11K to the City of Westby for repairs
  3. 2018Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides51 households applied for aid$106K aid approved
  4. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding71 households applied for aid$156K aid approved$65K to the City of Westby for repairs
  5. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding141 households applied for aid$271K aid approved$18K to the City of Westby for repairs
  6. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding11 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WestbyVernon County only

Vernon County has had 20 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 Westby after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Westby archive →
Next door

Westby and its neighbors

Westby has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Christiana: not gradedViroqua: hazard risk B+ChristianaViroquaWestby
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WestbyB+less damage than 75%river and rain flooding0
ViroquaB+less damage than 69%river and rain flooding—
Christiana—not graded yet

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 Westby 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 ↗
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 Westby

Is Westby at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Westby has lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%) and tornadoes (12%). 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.

Is Westby 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 Vernon County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Westby?

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

By FEMA money that reached Westby, Severe Storms and Flooding (2007): 141 households applied for aid, $271K approved, and $18K to the City of Westby for repairs.

Is Westby at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (75%), and Westby’s rate for it is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Westby.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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