Natural hazards · Mountain Iron

Mountain Iron, MN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Mountain Iron comes from cold waves, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Mountain Iron?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Mountain Iron to be higher than in 9% of U.S. communities, mostly from cold waves and inland flooding.

Cold waves58%Inland flooding32%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Mountain Iron faces

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

Cold waves

58% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 17 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

32% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 30% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesEarthquakesDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Mountain Iron flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Mountain Iron.

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: St. Louis County.

Disasters that hit Mountain Iron

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Mountain Iron itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Mountain Iron.

Brought FEMA money into Mountain IronDeclared for St. Louis County only

2024

Severe Storms and Flooding

26 households applied for aid $102K aid approved

1999

Severe Storms, Winds, and Flooding

$41K to the City of Mountain Iron for repairs

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

Around Mountain Iron

Mountain Iron and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Clintonmostly cold wavesModerate

Wuorimostly cold wavesLow

Great Scottmostly cold wavesLow

Virginiamostly cold wavesLow

Mountain Ironmostly cold wavesVery low

Leonidasmostly cold wavesVery low

Evelethmostly cold wavesVery low

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. Mountain Iron covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Mountain Iron’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Mountain Iron. 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 Mountain Iron total about $3.4M 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.