Natural hazards · Bristol

Bristol, WI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Bristol comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2024.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Bristol?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Bristol to be higher than in 20% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding44%Cold waves25%Tornadoes17%Hail6%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Bristol faces

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

Inland flooding

44% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 32% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

25% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 55% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

17% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 76% of U.S. places

Hail

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

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 Bristol flood?

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

1paid claims since 2024

$10Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20242026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Dane County.

Disasters that hit Bristol

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into BristolDeclared for Dane County only

Dane County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.

Around Bristol

Bristol and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Hampdenmostly hailHigh

Windsormostly inland floodingLow

Yorkmostly inland floodingLow

Bristolmostly inland floodingLow

Sun Prairiemostly 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. Bristol covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Bristol’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Bristol. 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 Bristol total about $1.4M 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.