TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
OwatonnaGood night
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 low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 64 claims here since 1979. 7 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Owatonna?

37
Low
vs. U.S. communities

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

Inland flooding41%Tornadoes27%Strong wind12%Cold waves12%Hail6%Everything else3%
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

41% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 36% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

27% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 95% of U.S. places

Strong wind

12% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Cold waves

12% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. places
Recorded about 10 times a year in the area

Hail

6% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places
Recorded about 5 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 Owatonna flood?

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

64paid claims since 1979
$2.0Mpaid to owners
9homes flooded more than once
19792026

Biggest named events

  • June Midwest Flooding: 2 claims, $76K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

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.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

6flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters that hit Owatonna

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into OwatonnaDeclared for Steele County only
2024

Severe Storms and Flooding

25 households applied for aid $63K aid approved
2019

Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

$94K to the City of Owatonna for repairs
2016

Severe Storms and Flooding

71 households applied for aid $49K aid approved $107K to the City of Owatonna for repairs
2014

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

$7K to the City of Owatonna for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

$1.2M to the City of Owatonna for repairs
2007

Severe Storms and Flooding

157 households applied for aid $343K aid approved $254K to the City of Owatonna for repairs
2004

Severe Storms and Flooding

12 households applied for aid $26K aid approved
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: High, mostly inland floodingClinton Falls: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSomerset: Moderate, mostly inland floodingHavana: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMeriden: Moderate, mostly inland floodingDeerfield: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMedford: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMerton: Moderate, mostly inland floodingOwatonna: Low, mostly inland flooding OwatonnaOwatonnaClinton Falls
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Owatonnamostly inland floodingHigh
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 4 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Owatonna’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City 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 $8.8M 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.

We left the porch light on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Owatonna, MNView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

Owatonna is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
Open detailed map