Natural hazards · St. Joseph

St. Joseph, OH natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in St. Joseph comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is St. Joseph?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in St. Joseph to be higher than in 38% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding54%Tornadoes19%Strong wind9%Cold waves6%Everything else13%

By hazard

What St. Joseph faces

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

Inland flooding

54% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 47% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Tornadoes

19% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 51 years in the area

Strong wind

9% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Cold waves

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 54% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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. Joseph flood?

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

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Williams County.

Disasters that hit St. Joseph

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into St. JosephDeclared for Williams County only

Williams County has had 6 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around St. Joseph

St. Joseph and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Florencemostly inland floodingModerate

Superiormostly inland floodingModerate

Milfordmostly inland floodingModerate

St. Josephmostly inland floodingLow

Centermostly inland floodingLow

Troymostly inland floodingVery low

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. Joseph covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to St. Joseph’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of St. Joseph. 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. Joseph total about $949K 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.