Natural hazards · Thornapple

Thornapple, MI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Thornapple comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 18 claims here since 1982.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Thornapple?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

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

Inland flooding57%Tornadoes19%Cold waves8%Strong wind8%Everything else7%

By hazard

What Thornapple faces

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

Inland flooding

57% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 37% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

19% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Cold waves

8% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 45% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Strong wind

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 93% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat 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 Thornapple flood?

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

18paid claims since 1982

$327Kpaid to owners

4homes flooded more than once

19822026

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Barry County.

Disasters that hit Thornapple

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into ThornappleDeclared for Barry County only

Barry County has had 12 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and floods.

Around Thornapple

Thornapple and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Irvingmostly inland floodingLow

Thornapplemostly inland floodingLow

Yankee Springsmostly inland floodingLow

Caledoniamostly inland floodingVery low

Leightonmostly 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. Thornapple covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Thornapple’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Thornapple. 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 Thornapple total about $2.1M 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.