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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. Flood insurance has paid 24 claims here since 1998. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Northfield?

52
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Northfield to be higher than in 52% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding40%Tornadoes25%Cold waves14%Strong wind11%Hail7%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

40% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 52% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

25% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places

Cold waves

14% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 34% of U.S. places
Recorded about 10 times a year 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

7% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 93% of U.S. places
Recorded about 6 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?

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

24paid claims since 1998
$2.9Mpaid to owners
5homes flooded more than once
19982026

Biggest named events

  • June Midwest Flooding: 2 claims, $208K
  • Severe flooding: 1 claim, $10K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

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.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

1flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters that hit Northfield

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into NorthfieldDeclared for Rice County only
2024

Severe Storms and Flooding

17 households applied for aid $138K aid approved $180K to the City of Northfield for repairs
2016

Severe Storms and Flooding

1 household applied for aid $37K to the City of Northfield for repairs
2014

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

$45K to the City of Northfield for repairs
2012

Severe Storms and Flooding

$137K to the City of Northfield for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

$312K to the City 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

Bridgewater: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNorthfield: Moderate, mostly inland floodingGreenvale: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWaterford: Moderate, mostly inland floodingDundas: Moderate, mostly inland floodingForest: Moderate, mostly inland floodingCannon City: High, mostly inland floodingDennison: High, mostly inland floodingWheeling: High, mostly inland floodingWarsaw: High, mostly inland floodingSciota: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWebster: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNorthfield: Moderate, mostly inland flooding NorthfieldBridgewaterNorthfieldGreenvaleWaterfordDundas
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Northfieldmostly inland floodingModerate
Northfieldmostly inland floodingModerate
Bridgewatermostly inland floodingModerate
Greenvalemostly inland floodingModerate
Waterfordmostly inland floodingModerate
Dundasmostly 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 covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.
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 City of Northfield. 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 Northfield total about $6.0M 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.

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