Natural hazards · St. Joseph

St. Joseph, IN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in St. Joseph comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 66 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is St. Joseph?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in St. Joseph to be higher than in 36% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding59%Tornadoes22%Strong wind6%Cold waves6%Everything else8%

By hazard

What St. Joseph faces

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

Inland flooding

59% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 54% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

22% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Strong wind

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Cold waves

6% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 45% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 St. Joseph flood?

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

66paid claims since 1978

$907Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. St. Joseph isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Allen County.

Disasters that hit St. Joseph

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Allen County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching St. Joseph itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into St. JosephDeclared for Allen County only

Allen County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around St. Joseph

St. Joseph and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Waynemostly inland floodingHigh

Fort Waynemostly inland floodingModerate

Adamsmostly inland floodingModerate

Milanmostly inland floodingLow

Cedar Creekmostly inland floodingLow

St. Josephmostly inland floodingLow

New Havenmostly inland floodingLow

Perrymostly inland floodingLow

Washingtonmostly inland floodingVery low

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. St. Joseph covers 16 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to St. Joseph’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of St. Joseph. 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 St. Joseph total about $14.2M 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.