Natural hazards · Webster Groves

Webster Groves, MO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Webster Groves comes from heat waves, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 64 claims here since 1979. 7 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Webster Groves?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

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

Heat waves35%Inland flooding30%Earthquakes18%Cold waves6%Hail6%Everything else5%

By hazard

What Webster Groves faces

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

Heat waves

35% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. places

Recorded about 15 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

30% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

18% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Cold waves

6% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hail

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 94% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesStrong 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 Webster Groves flood?

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

64paid claims since 1979

$2.0Mpaid to owners

9homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Ike: 11 claims, $874K
Late July Flooding: 10 claims, $539K
Not a named storm: 4 claims, $60K

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. Webster Groves isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: St. Louis County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

4flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters that hit Webster Groves

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into Webster GrovesDeclared for St. Louis County only

2025

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

1 household applied for aid

2022

Severe Storms and Flooding

30 households applied for aid $101K aid approved $60K to the City of Webster Groves for repairs

2017

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding

1 household applied for aid $250 aid approved

2015

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

3 households applied for aid $2K aid approved

2008

Severe Storms, Flooding, and a Tornado

15 households applied for aid $83K aid approved

2006

Severe Winter Storms

$171K to the City of Webster Groves for repairs

2006

Severe Storms

$68K to the City of Webster Groves for repairs

St. Louis County has had 29 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Webster Groves

Webster Groves and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Brentwoodmostly inland floodingHigh

Maplewoodmostly inland floodingHigh

Shrewsburymostly inland floodingHigh

Oaklandmostly inland floodingHigh

Crestwoodmostly heat wavesHigh

Marlboroughmostly heat wavesHigh

Webster Grovesmostly heat wavesModerate

Rock Hillmostly heat wavesModerate

Glendalemostly heat wavesModerate

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. Webster Groves covers 6 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Webster Groves’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Webster Groves. 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 Webster Groves total about $16.1M 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.