Natural hazards · Winston

Winston, MT natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Winston comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Winston?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Winston to be higher than in 61% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and avalanches.

Inland flooding36%Avalanches21%Cold waves17%Earthquakes9%Lightning8%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Winston faces

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

Inland flooding

36% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Avalanches

21% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 30 years in the area

Cold waves

17% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

9% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places

Lightning

8% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 56% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Winston flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Broadwater County.

Disasters that hit Winston

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Winston itself: aid to households, or repair grants to Winston.

Brought FEMA money into WinstonDeclared for Broadwater County only

2011

Severe Storms and Flooding

3 households applied for aid $4K aid approved

Broadwater County has had 10 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and fires.

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. Winston 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 Winston’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Winston. 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.