Natural hazards · Thompson

Thompson, IA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Thompson comes from drought, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Thompson?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Thompson to be higher than in 36% of U.S. communities, mostly from drought and inland flooding.

Drought48%Inland flooding19%Cold waves16%Tornadoes8%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Thompson faces

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

Drought

48% of expected damage

Recorded about 13 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

19% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

16% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places

Recorded about 11 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Thompson flood?

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

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Winnebago County.

Disasters that hit Thompson

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into ThompsonDeclared for Winnebago County only

2018

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

$4K to the City of Thompson for repairs

2008

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

3 households applied for aid $1K aid approved $1K to the City of Thompson for repairs

2007

Severe Winter Storms

$1K to the City of Thompson for repairs

2004

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

14 households applied for aid $14K aid approved

Winnebago County has had 14 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. Thompson is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Thompson’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Thompson. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

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.

Thompson, IA natural hazards

How exposed is Thompson?

What Thompson faces

Drought

Inland flooding

Cold waves

Tornadoes

Lower here

Not a risk here

Does Thompson flood?

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

Severe Winter Storms

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

How to read this page

Where to, neighbor?

Matches

Nearby