Natural hazards · Hugo

Hugo, MN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Hugo comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1993.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Hugo?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Hugo to be higher than in 47% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding51%Tornadoes16%Cold waves11%Strong wind10%Hail5%Everything else6%

By hazard

What Hugo faces

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

Inland flooding

51% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

16% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places

Cold waves

11% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 25% of U.S. places

Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Strong wind

10% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hail

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% 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 Hugo flood?

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

2paid claims since 1993

$4Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19932026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Washington County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

1flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters that hit Hugo

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into HugoDeclared for Washington County only

Washington County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Hugo

Hugo and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Lino Lakesmostly inland floodingHigh

Maymostly inland floodingModerate

Forest Lakemostly inland floodingModerate

Hugomostly inland floodingModerate

White Bearmostly inland floodingLow

Grantmostly 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. Hugo covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Hugo’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Hugo. 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 Hugo total about $5.5M 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.