Natural hazards · Key West

Key West, KS natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Key West comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Key West?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Key West to be higher than in 57% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding31%Lightning14%Tornadoes12%Cold waves8%Strong wind7%Drought7%Everything else22%

By hazard

What Key West faces

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

Inland flooding

31% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 53% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lightning

14% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 95% of U.S. places

Tornadoes

12% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Cold waves

8% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 17% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Strong wind

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 95% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Drought

7% of expected damage

Recorded about 31 times a year in the area

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherEarthquakesLandslides

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Key West flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Key West.

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Coffey County.

Disasters that hit Key West

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Coffey County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Key West itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into Key WestDeclared for Coffey County only

Coffey County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.

Around Key West

Key West and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Olivetmostly inland floodingHigh

Melvernmostly inland floodingHigh

Arvoniamostly inland floodingHigh

Rock Creekmostly inland floodingHigh

Key Westmostly inland floodingModerate

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. Key West is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Key West’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Key West. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

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.