Natural hazards · Monson

Monson, MN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Monson comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 42 claims here since 1978. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Monson?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Monson to be higher than in 55% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding50%Cold waves21%Strong wind9%Hail8%Tornadoes7%Everything else5%

By hazard

What Monson faces

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

Inland flooding

50% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 76% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

21% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. places

Recorded about 14 times a year in the area

Strong wind

9% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hail

8% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 33% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 75% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Monson flood?

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

42paid claims since 1978

$395Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Severe flooding: 15 claims, $147K
Midwest Flooding: 1 claim, $4K
Not a named storm: 1 claim, $609

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Traverse County.

Disasters that hit Monson

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into MonsonDeclared for Traverse County only

2010

Flooding

$7K to the Township of Monson for repairs

Traverse County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Monson

Monson and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Monsonmostly inland floodingModerate

Lake Valleymostly inland floodingModerate

Taylormostly inland floodingModerate

Redpathmostly inland floodingModerate

White Rockmostly 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. Monson covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Monson’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Monson. 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 Monson total about $2.0M 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.