Natural hazards · Madison

Madison, IN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Madison comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Madison?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Madison to be higher than in 15% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding54%Cold waves18%Tornadoes13%Hail6%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Madison faces

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

Inland flooding

54% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 26% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Cold waves

18% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 56% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

13% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 34 years in the area

Hail

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 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 Madison flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: St. Joseph County.

Disasters that hit Madison

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for St. Joseph County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Madison itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into MadisonDeclared for St. Joseph County only

St. Joseph County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and severe storms.

Around Madison

Madison and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Germanmostly inland floodingLow

Madisonmostly inland floodingVery low

Pennmostly inland floodingVery low

Unionmostly inland floodingVery low

Olivemostly inland floodingVery low

Lockemostly inland floodingVery 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. Madison covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Madison’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Madison. 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 Madison total about $613K 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.