Natural hazards · Ely

Ely, MI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Ely comes from cold waves, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2023.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Ely?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Ely to be higher than in 26% of U.S. communities, mostly from cold waves and inland flooding.

Cold waves46%Inland flooding29%Hail14%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Ely faces

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

Cold waves

46% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 59% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

29% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 23% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Hail

14% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesEarthquakesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Ely flood?

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

1paid claims since 2023

$23Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20232026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Marquette County.

Disasters that hit Ely

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into ElyDeclared for Marquette County only

Marquette County has had 9 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.

Around Ely

Ely and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Humboldtmostly inland floodingModerate

Championmostly inland floodingModerate

Elymostly cold wavesLow

Tildenmostly cold wavesLow

West Branchmostly cold wavesLow

Felchmostly cold wavesLow

Sagolamostly cold wavesLow

Ishpemingmostly 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. Ely 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 Ely’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Ely. 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.