Natural hazards · Chester

Chester, WI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Chester comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2008.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Chester?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Chester to be higher than in 12% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding35%Cold waves25%Tornadoes21%Hail8%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Chester faces

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

Inland flooding

35% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 15% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

25% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 33% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

21% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 38 years in the area

Hail

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 89% 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 Chester flood?

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

1paid claims since 2008

$3Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20082026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Dodge County.

Disasters that hit Chester

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into ChesterDeclared for Dodge County only

Dodge County has had 11 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.

Around Chester

Chester and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Waupunmostly inland floodingLow

Burnettmostly inland floodingLow

Leroymostly inland floodingLow

Trentonmostly inland floodingVery low

Chestermostly inland floodingVery low

Waupunmostly cold wavesVery low

Oakfieldmostly 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. Chester covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Chester’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Chester. 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 Chester total about $3.5M 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.