Natural hazards · Nowthen

Nowthen, MN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Nowthen comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1997.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Nowthen?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Nowthen to be higher than in 37% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding53%Strong wind13%Tornadoes10%Hail8%Wildfire5%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Nowthen faces

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

Inland flooding

53% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 47% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Strong wind

13% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

10% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 55% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 41 years in the area

Hail

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Wildfire

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 93% of U.S. places

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

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 Nowthen flood?

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

1paid claims since 1997

$6Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19972026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Anoka County.

Disasters that hit Nowthen

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Anoka County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Nowthen itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into NowthenDeclared for Anoka County only

Anoka County has had 11 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Nowthen

Nowthen and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Ramseymostly inland floodingHigh

Oak Grovemostly inland floodingModerate

Elk Rivermostly inland floodingLow

Nowthenmostly inland floodingLow

St. Francismostly inland floodingLow

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. Nowthen covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Nowthen’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Nowthen. 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 Nowthen total about $1.4M 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.