Natural hazards · Birmingham

Birmingham, MO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Birmingham comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1982.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Birmingham?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Birmingham to be higher than in 40% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding53%Tornadoes16%Cold waves13%Hail7%Heat waves6%Everything else5%

By hazard

What Birmingham faces

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

Inland flooding

53% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 52% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

16% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 83 years in the area

Cold waves

13% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hail

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 91% of U.S. places

Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Heat waves

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places

Recorded about 15 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

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 Birmingham flood?

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

4paid claims since 1982

$47Kpaid to owners

1homes flooded more than once

19822026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 2 claims, $10K
Midwest Flooding: 1 claim, $15K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Clay County.

Disasters that hit Birmingham

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into BirminghamDeclared for Clay County only

Clay County has had 23 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

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. Birmingham covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Birmingham’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Village of Birmingham. 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 Birmingham total about $3.3M 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.