Natural hazards · Winter Beach

Winter Beach, FL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Winter Beach comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2016. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations
Expected damage

How exposed is Winter Beach?

97
Very high
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Winter Beach to be higher than in 97% of U.S. communities, mostly from hurricanes.

Hurricanes81%Inland flooding13%Everything else6%
By hazard

What Winter Beach faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

81% of expected damage
Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Inland flooding

13% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 36% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Ice stormsWinter weatherLandslidesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Flood insurance claims

Does Winter Beach flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Winter Beach, from FEMA’s records.

4paid claims since 2016
$281Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
20162026

Biggest named events

  • Hurricane Matthew: 3 claims, $256K
  • Hurricane Milton: 1 claim, $25K
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Winter Beach isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Indian River County.
Disasters that hit Winter Beach

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Winter Beach itself: aid to households, or repair grants to Winter Beach.

Brought FEMA money into Winter BeachDeclared for Indian River County only
2004

Hurricane Jeanne

22 households applied for aid $65K aid approved
2004

Hurricane Ivan

1 household applied for aid
2004

Hurricane Frances

13 households applied for aid $25K aid approved
2004

Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley

1 household applied for aid
Indian River County has had 27 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and fires.
About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Winter Beach covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Winter Beach’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Winter Beach. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Winter Beach total about $4.0M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01