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Natural hazards · Lake Elmo

Lake Elmo, MN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lake Elmo comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 22 claims here since 1979.

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

How exposed is Lake Elmo?

28
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Lake Elmo to be higher than in 28% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding43%Tornadoes22%Strong wind12%Cold waves10%Hail6%Everything else6%
By hazard

What Lake Elmo faces

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

Inland flooding

43% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 30% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

22% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Strong wind

12% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Cold waves

10% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 25% of U.S. places
Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Hail

6% 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 Lake Elmo flood?

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

22paid claims since 1979
$276Kpaid to owners
1homes flooded more than once
19792026

Biggest named events

  • Not a named storm: 1 claim, $6K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Lake Elmo 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.
Disasters that hit Lake Elmo

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Lake ElmoDeclared for Washington County only
Washington County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.
Around Lake Elmo

Lake Elmo and the towns around it

Oakdale: Low, mostly inland floodingStillwater: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWest Lakeland: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWoodbury: Low, mostly inland floodingBaytown: Low, mostly inland floodingGrant: Low, mostly inland floodingPine Springs: Low, mostly inland floodingOak Park Heights: Low, mostly inland floodingMahtomedi: Low, mostly inland floodingSomerset: Low, mostly inland floodingStillwater: High, mostly inland floodingMay: Moderate, mostly inland floodingAfton: Moderate, mostly inland floodingLakeland: High, mostly inland floodingNorth Hudson: Low, mostly inland floodingBayport: Low, mostly inland floodingHudson: Low, mostly inland floodingNewport: Low, mostly inland floodingCottage Grove: Low, mostly inland floodingMaplewood: Low, mostly inland floodingDellwood: Moderate, mostly inland floodingHugo: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSt. Joseph: Moderate, mostly inland floodingLake Elmo: Low, mostly inland flooding Lake ElmoOakdaleStillwaterWest LakelandWoodburyBaytownGrantPine SpringsOak Park Heights
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
West Lakelandmostly inland floodingModerate
Stillwatermostly inland floodingModerate
Oak Park Heightsmostly inland floodingLow
Pine Springsmostly inland floodingLow
Lake Elmomostly inland floodingLow
Baytownmostly inland floodingLow
Grantmostly inland floodingLow
Woodburymostly inland floodingLow
Oakdalemostly 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. Lake Elmo covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lake Elmo’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Lake Elmo. 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 Lake Elmo total about $4.2M 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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