Smelser is calmer than 83% of U.S. communities
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Smelser comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Smelser’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Smelser?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 17% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.
Calmer than 1,419 of the 1,849 Wisconsin towns we cover.
Smelser is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
Does Smelser flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Smelser. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Smelser isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Grant County.What Smelser faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Cold waves
Tornadoes
Strong wind
Hail
5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Smelser
Disasters that paid out in Smelser itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Smelser) and its biggest flood years.
- 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$7K to the Town of Smelser for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$27K to the Town of Smelser for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$6K to the Town of Smelser for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$3K to the Town of Smelser for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$10K to the Town of Smelser for repairs
Grant County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Old photos of Smelser after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Smelser archive →Get ready for what Smelser actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Smelser and its neighbors
Smelser ranks 2nd calmest of 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton | Low | cold waves | 0 |
| Hazel Green | Very low | inland flooding | 5 |
| Smelser | Very low | inland flooding | 0 |
| Cuba City | Very low | inland flooding | 0 |
| Paris | Very low | inland flooding | 7 |
| Platteville | Very low | inland flooding | 4 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in May–July
The month each of Grant County’s 17 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Smelser’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Smelser.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Smelser.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.