Natural hazards · Ashland

Ashland, MI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Ashland comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 25 claims here since 1986.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Ashland?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Ashland to be higher than in 32% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding62%Strong wind14%Tornadoes7%Cold waves7%Winter weather5%Everything else5%

By hazard

What Ashland faces

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

Inland flooding

62% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 55% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Strong wind

14% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 50% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 64 years in the area

Cold waves

7% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 35% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Winter weather

5% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. places

Recorded about 25 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Ashland flood?

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

25paid claims since 1986

$872Kpaid to owners

3homes flooded more than once

19862026

Biggest named events

2026-04-Flooding: 3 claims, $212K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (2) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Newaygo County.

Disasters that hit Ashland

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into AshlandDeclared for Newaygo County only

Newaygo County has had 11 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Ashland

Ashland and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Ashlandmostly inland floodingLow

Bridgetonmostly inland floodingLow

Sheridanmostly inland floodingLow

Garfieldmostly inland floodingLow

Casnoviamostly inland floodingVery low

Grantmostly 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. Ashland covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Ashland’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Ashland. 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 Ashland total about $1.3M 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.