TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
West MilwaukeeGood morning
Natural hazards · West Milwaukee

West Milwaukee, WI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in West Milwaukee comes from cold waves, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2025. 7 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is West Milwaukee?

0
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in West Milwaukee to be higher than in 0% of U.S. communities, mostly from cold waves and inland flooding.

Cold waves52%Inland flooding22%Tornadoes15%Heat waves7%Everything else4%
By hazard

What West Milwaukee faces

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

Cold waves

52% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 40% of U.S. places
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

22% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 2% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

15% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. places

Heat waves

7% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 56% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingWildfireDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 West Milwaukee flood?

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

1paid claims since 2025
$50Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
20252026

Biggest named events

  • 2025-08-MilwaukeeMetro-Flood: 1 claim, $50K
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. West Milwaukee isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Milwaukee County.
Disasters that hit West Milwaukee

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in West Milwaukee itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Village of West Milwaukee.

Brought FEMA money into West MilwaukeeDeclared for Milwaukee County only
2026

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

6 households applied for aid $7K aid approved
2025

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Mudslides

25 households applied for aid $160K aid approved
2010

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

6 households applied for aid $6K aid approved
2008

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

12 households applied for aid $39K aid approved $3K to the Village of West Milwaukee for repairs
2008

Record Snow and Near Record Snow

$6K to the Village of West Milwaukee for repairs
2004

Severe Storms and Flooding

1 household applied for aid
2000

Snow

$5K to the Village of West Milwaukee for repairs
Milwaukee County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.
Around West Milwaukee

West Milwaukee and the towns around it

Milwaukee: Low, mostly cold wavesWest Allis: Very low, mostly cold wavesWauwatosa: Very low, mostly cold wavesGreenfield: Very low, mostly cold wavesGlendale: Moderate, mostly inland floodingShorewood: Moderate, mostly cold wavesSt. Francis: Very low, mostly cold wavesMenomonee Falls: Very low, mostly inland floodingBrown Deer: Low, mostly inland floodingOak Creek: Very low, mostly cold wavesWhitefish Bay: Moderate, mostly cold wavesCudahy: Very low, mostly cold wavesNew Berlin: Very low, mostly inland floodingBrookfield: Very low, mostly inland floodingWest Milwaukee: Very low, mostly cold waves West MilwaukeeMilwaukeeWest Allis
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Milwaukeemostly cold wavesLow
West Allismostly cold wavesVery low
West Milwaukeemostly 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. West Milwaukee covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to West Milwaukee’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Village of West Milwaukee. 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 West Milwaukee total about $1.5M 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.

The coffee’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in West Milwaukee, WIView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

West Milwaukee is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
Open detailed map