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Natural hazards · Owatonna

Owatonna, MN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Owatonna comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1979. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Owatonna?

66
High
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Owatonna to be higher than in 66% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding55%Tornadoes20%Cold waves10%Strong wind8%Everything else6%
By hazard

What Owatonna faces

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

Inland flooding

55% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 76% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

20% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 95% of U.S. places

Cold waves

10% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. places
Recorded about 10 times a year in the area

Strong wind

8% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

HailIce 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 Owatonna flood?

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

7paid claims since 1979
$72Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19792026
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Owatonna isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Steele County.
Disasters that hit Owatonna

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into OwatonnaDeclared for Steele County only
2014

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

$17K to the Township of Owatonna for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

$13K to the Township of Owatonna for repairs
2007

Severe Storms and Flooding

$2K to the Township of Owatonna for repairs
Steele County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.
Around Owatonna

Owatonna and the towns around it

Owatonna: Low, mostly inland floodingSomerset: Moderate, mostly inland floodingHavana: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMeriden: Moderate, mostly inland floodingClinton Falls: Moderate, mostly inland floodingLemond: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSummit: Low, mostly inland floodingAurora: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMerton: Moderate, mostly inland floodingClaremont: Moderate, mostly inland floodingDeerfield: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWoodville: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMedford: Moderate, mostly inland floodingOwatonna: High, mostly inland flooding OwatonnaOwatonnaSomersetHavanaMeridenClinton Falls
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Owatonnamostly inland floodingHigh
Somersetmostly inland floodingModerate
Meridenmostly inland floodingModerate
Havanamostly inland floodingModerate
Clinton Fallsmostly inland floodingModerate
Owatonnamostly 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. Owatonna covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Owatonna’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Owatonna. 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 Owatonna total about $3.3M 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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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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