Natural hazards · Darwin

Darwin, MN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Darwin comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1984. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Darwin?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Darwin to be higher than in 49% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding52%Cold waves13%Tornadoes12%Strong wind11%Hail7%Everything else6%

By hazard

What Darwin faces

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

Inland flooding

52% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Cold waves

13% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 48% of U.S. places

Recorded about 12 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

12% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

Strong wind

11% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hail

7% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

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 Darwin flood?

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

4paid claims since 1984

$86Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19842026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Meeker County.

Disasters that hit Darwin

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into DarwinDeclared for Meeker County only

2001

Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes

$18K to the Township of Darwin for repairs

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

Around Darwin

Darwin and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Dasselmostly inland floodingModerate

Darwinmostly inland floodingModerate

Forest Citymostly inland floodingModerate

Ellsworthmostly inland floodingModerate

Litchfieldmostly inland floodingModerate

Litchfieldmostly inland floodingLow

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. Darwin covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Darwin’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Darwin. 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 Darwin total about $2.9M 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.