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Natural hazards in Nashville · FEMA

Nashville is calmer than 72% of U.S. communities

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Nashville comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

28Low riskLowerHigherExpected storm and flood damage, vs. U.S. communities
Overall risk
Low
higher than 28% of U.S. places
Main hazard
Inland flooding
31% of expected damage
Flood claims
0
none on record
Disasters paid out here
5
of 13 declared for Martin County

What stands out about Nashville’s weather risks

Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · Expected damage

How exposed is Nashville?

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

Where Nashville sits
Nashville
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Calmer than 2,158 of the 2,631 Minnesota towns we cover.

Nashville is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

What drives the damage
Inland flooding31%Cold waves17%Tornadoes13%Hail13%Drought13%Strong wind8%Everything else5%
Next door

Nashville and its neighbors

Nashville has the lowest rating of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
TownRatingMostlyFlood claims
Center CreekLowinland flooding0
Winnebago CityLowinland flooding0
NashvilleLowinland flooding0
WestfordLowinland flooding0

Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.

Flood insurance claims

Does Nashville flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Nashville. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

By hazard

What Nashville faces

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

Inland flooding

31%of expected damage
Below average · higher than 30% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Cold waves

17%of expected damage
Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. places
Recorded about 11 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

13%of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Hail

13%of expected damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Drought

13%of expected damage
Recorded about 13 times a year in the area

Strong wind

8%of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Lower here
🧊 Ice storms❄️ Winter weather🌡️ Heat waves🔥 Wildfire🏚️ Earthquakes⛰️ Landslides⚡ Lightning
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.
Storms remembered

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Nashville

Disasters that paid out in Nashville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Township of Nashville) and its biggest flood years.

  1. 2024Severe Storms and Flooding$30K to the Township of Nashville for repairs
  2. 2019Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding$42K to the Township of Nashville for repairs
  3. 2018Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding$3K to the Township of Nashville for repairs
  4. 2014Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$8K to the Township of Nashville for repairs
  5. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$38K to the Township of Nashville for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in NashvilleMartin County only

Martin County has had 13 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Were you here?

Old photos of Nashville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Nashville archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Nashville actually faces

A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Cold snaps
  • Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
  • Know where your water shutoff is.
  • Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Storm season

Most disasters here begin in April–June

The month each of Martin County’s 13 declared disasters began, since 1953.

1J
F
1M
2A
1M
4J
J
1A
2S
1O
N
D
FloodsSevere stormsDroughtsHurricanesIce storms
How to read this page

What these numbers can and can’t tell you

  • An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
  • Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Nashville’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Nashville.
  • It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Nashville.

Town Square →
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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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.

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