Washington’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Washington comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community.
What stands out about Washington’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Washington flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Washington. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
How exposed is Washington?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 69% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and drought.
Rated higher than 905 of the 1,353 Missouri towns we cover.
Washington is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
What Washington faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Drought
Tornadoes
Cold waves
Heat waves
Federal disasters declared here
None of the disasters declared for Daviess County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Washington itself in FEMA’s records.
Daviess County has had 21 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and ice storms.
Get ready for what Washington actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- On a well? Know how deep it is and watch for sputtering.
- Follow the town’s watering limits.
- Fix drips: they add up.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Washington and its neighbors
Washington ranks 2nd calmest of 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | High | inland flooding | 0 |
| Lincoln | High | inland flooding | 0 |
| Grand River | High | inland flooding | 0 |
| Salem | High | inland flooding | 0 |
| Adams | Moderate | inland flooding | 0 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in April–June
The month each of Daviess County’s 21 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Washington’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Washington.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Washington.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Weather alerts: National Weather Service. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.