TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
GrinnellGood night
Natural hazards · Grinnell

Grinnell, IA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Grinnell comes from tornadoes, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Grinnell?

21
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Grinnell to be higher than in 21% of U.S. communities, mostly from tornadoes and inland flooding.

Tornadoes27%Inland flooding24%Strong wind19%Hail10%Heat waves7%Cold waves6%Everything else6%
By hazard

What Grinnell faces

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

Tornadoes

27% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

24% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 7% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Strong wind

19% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places
Recorded about 7 times a year in the area

Hail

10% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. places
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Heat waves

7% of expected damage
Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Cold waves

6% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. places
Recorded about 7 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

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 Grinnell flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Grinnell.

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Grinnell isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Poweshiek County.
Disasters that hit Grinnell

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into GrinnellDeclared for Poweshiek County only
2024

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

1 household applied for aid $300 aid approved
2020

Severe Storms

152 households applied for aid $62K aid approved $1.4M to the City of Grinnell for repairs
2013

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

$64K to the City of Grinnell for repairs
2008

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

13 households applied for aid $9K aid approved
2007

Severe Winter Storms

$573K to the City of Grinnell for repairs
2004

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

3 households applied for aid $3K aid approved
Poweshiek County has had 13 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
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. Grinnell covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Grinnell’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Grinnell. 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 Grinnell total about $3.2M 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.

We left the porch light on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Grinnell, IAView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

Grinnell 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