Natural hazards · Sylvester

Sylvester, WI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Sylvester comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2007. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Sylvester?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Sylvester to be higher than in 27% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding40%Cold waves26%Tornadoes14%Hail10%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Sylvester faces

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

Inland flooding

40% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 31% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

26% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 36% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

14% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Hail

10% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 92% 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 Sylvester flood?

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

6paid claims since 2007

$65Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20072026

Biggest named events

Storm: 2 claims, $31K
March 2019 Midwest Flooding: 2 claims, $27K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Green County.

Disasters that hit Sylvester

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into SylvesterDeclared for Green County only

2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$5K to the Town of Sylvester for repairs

2008

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

$5K to the Town of Sylvester for repairs

2008

Record Snow and Near Record Snow

$6K to the Town of Sylvester for repairs

2000

Snow

$2K to the Town of Sylvester for repairs

2000

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

$7K to the Town of Sylvester for repairs

Green County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.

Around Sylvester

Sylvester and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Jeffersonmostly inland floodingLow

Mount Pleasantmostly inland floodingLow

Sylvestermostly inland floodingLow

Decaturmostly inland floodingLow

Monroemostly cold wavesVery low

Clarnomostly cold wavesVery 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. Sylvester covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Sylvester’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Sylvester. 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 Sylvester total about $2.5M 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.