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Natural hazards · St. Louis

St. Louis, MO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in St. Louis comes from heat waves, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 494 claims here since 1978. 9 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is St. Louis?

78
High
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in St. Louis to be higher than in 78% of U.S. communities, mostly from heat waves and inland flooding.

Heat waves48%Inland flooding25%Earthquakes16%Tornadoes8%Everything else3%
By hazard

What St. Louis faces

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

Heat waves

48% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. places
Recorded about 15 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

25% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

16% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Tornadoes

8% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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. Louis flood?

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

494paid claims since 1978
$10.5Mpaid to owners
23homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Midwest Flooding: 176 claims, $4.0M
  • Hurricane Ike: 19 claims, $334K
  • Not a named storm: 19 claims, $176K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (5) ■ flooded 2+ times

of all homes
are insured
No community discount. St. Louis isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: the county.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

264flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
1storm safe rooms built
Disasters that hit St. Louis

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in St. Louis itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of St. Louis.

Brought FEMA money into St. LouisDeclared for the county only
2025

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding

15,296 households applied for aid $56.4M aid approved $24.1M to the City of St. Louis for repairs
2022

Severe Storms and Flooding

18,017 households applied for aid $35.2M aid approved $1.8M to the City of St. Louis for repairs
2019

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

$946K to the City of St. Louis for repairs
2015

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

600 households applied for aid $752K aid approved $419K to the City of St. Louis for repairs
2008

Severe Storms, Flooding, and a Tornado

1,912 households applied for aid $3.5M aid approved
2008

Severe Storms and Flooding

168 households applied for aid $120K aid approved
2007

Severe Winter Storms and Flooding

$38K to the City of St. Louis for repairs
2006

Severe Storms

$5.8M to the City of St. Louis for repairs
2005

Hurricane Katrina Evacuation

$1.2M to the City of St. Louis for repairs
the county has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around St. Louis

St. Louis and the towns around it

Lemay: High, mostly heat wavesVenice: High, mostly inland floodingGlasgow Village: High, mostly heat wavesClayton: Moderate, mostly earthquakesCentreville: Very high, mostly inland floodingRiverview: Moderate, mostly heat wavesRichmond Heights: High, mostly inland floodingChouteau: High, mostly inland floodingEast St. Louis: Very high, mostly inland floodingEast St. Louis: Very high, mostly inland floodingSauget: Very high, mostly inland floodingCahokia Heights: Very high, mostly inland floodingMehlville: High, mostly heat wavesAffton: High, mostly heat wavesSt. George: High, mostly heat wavesSugar Loaf: Very high, mostly inland floodingGranite City: Very high, mostly inland floodingGranite City: Very high, mostly inland floodingMadison: Very high, mostly inland floodingNameoki: Very high, mostly inland floodingStites: High, mostly earthquakesBellefontaine Neighbors: High, mostly heat wavesSpanish Lake: Moderate, mostly heat wavesUniversity City: High, mostly heat wavesLadue: High, mostly inland floodingStookey: Moderate, mostly earthquakesBelleville: High, mostly earthquakesBrentwood: High, mostly inland floodingMaplewood: High, mostly inland floodingEdwardsville: Moderate, mostly inland floodingPontoon Beach: Very high, mostly inland floodingWood River: High, mostly inland floodingWest Alton: High, mostly inland floodingCanteen: Very high, mostly inland floodingWashington Park: Very high, mostly inland floodingFairmont City: Very high, mostly earthquakesFairview Heights: Moderate, mostly earthquakesCaseyville: High, mostly inland floodingSt. Louis: High, mostly heat waves St. LouisLemayVeniceGlasgow VillageClaytonCentrevilleRiverviewRichmond HeightsChouteauEast St. LouisEast St. LouisSaugetCahokia Heights
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
East St. Louismostly inland floodingVery high
East St. Louismostly inland floodingVery high
Centrevillemostly inland floodingVery high
Saugetmostly inland floodingVery high
Cahokia Heightsmostly inland floodingVery high
St. Louismostly heat wavesHigh
Venicemostly inland floodingHigh
Lemaymostly heat wavesHigh
Chouteaumostly inland floodingHigh
Richmond Heightsmostly inland floodingHigh
Glasgow Villagemostly heat wavesHigh
Riverviewmostly heat wavesModerate
Claytonmostly earthquakesModerate
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. Louis covers 104 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to St. Louis’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of St. Louis. 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. Louis total about $359M 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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