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Natural hazards · Northfield

Northfield, MN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Northfield comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate 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 Northfield?

59
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Northfield to be higher than in 59% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding50%Tornadoes19%Strong wind11%Hail9%Cold waves8%Everything else3%
By hazard

What Northfield 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
Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

19% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

Strong wind

11% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hail

9% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 93% of U.S. places
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Cold waves

8% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 34% of U.S. places
Recorded about 10 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 Northfield flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Northfield isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Rice County.
Disasters that hit Northfield

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into NorthfieldDeclared for Rice County only
2016

Severe Storms and Flooding

$5K to the Township of Northfield for repairs
2012

Severe Storms and Flooding

$44K to the Township of Northfield for repairs
Rice County has had 12 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.
Around Northfield

Northfield and the towns around it

Northfield: Moderate, mostly inland floodingBridgewater: Moderate, mostly inland floodingDennison: High, mostly inland floodingWheeling: High, mostly inland floodingWaterford: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWarsaw: High, mostly inland floodingSciota: Moderate, mostly inland floodingGreenvale: Moderate, mostly inland floodingDundas: Moderate, mostly inland floodingForest: Moderate, mostly inland floodingCannon City: High, mostly inland floodingRichland: High, mostly inland floodingHolden: Moderate, mostly inland floodingStanton: High, mostly inland floodingLeon: High, mostly inland floodingRandolph: Moderate, mostly inland floodingCastle Rock: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNorthfield: Moderate, mostly inland flooding NorthfieldNorthfieldBridgewaterDennisonWheelingWaterfordWarsawSciota
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Wheelingmostly inland floodingHigh
Dennisonmostly inland floodingHigh
Warsawmostly inland floodingHigh
Northfieldmostly inland floodingModerate
Northfieldmostly inland floodingModerate
Bridgewatermostly inland floodingModerate
Waterfordmostly inland floodingModerate
Sciotamostly 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. Northfield is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Northfield’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Northfield. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

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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You’re in Northfield, MNRice CountyView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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