Natural hazards · Lake Sarah

Lake Sarah, MN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lake Sarah comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1997.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Lake Sarah?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Lake Sarah to be higher than in 58% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding44%Drought15%Hail13%Tornadoes9%Cold waves8%Strong wind6%Everything else6%

By hazard

What Lake Sarah faces

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

Inland flooding

44% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Drought

15% of expected damage

Recorded about 11 times a year in the area

Hail

13% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

9% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 91% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Cold waves

8% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 39% of U.S. places

Recorded about 12 times a year in the area

Strong wind

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

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 Sarah flood?

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

10paid claims since 1997

$166Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19972026

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Murray County.

Disasters that hit Lake Sarah

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Lake SarahDeclared for Murray County only

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

Around Lake Sarah

Lake Sarah and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Custermostly inland floodingHigh

Lake Sarahmostly inland floodingModerate

Masonmostly inland floodingModerate

Shetekmostly inland floodingModerate

Skandiamostly inland floodingModerate

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 Sarah covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lake Sarah’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Lake Sarah. 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 Sarah total about $2.5M 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.