Natural hazards · Prior

Prior, MN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Prior comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 28 claims here since 1997.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Prior?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Prior to be higher than in 44% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding43%Cold waves33%Tornadoes7%Hail6%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Prior faces

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

Inland flooding

43% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Cold waves

33% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. places

Recorded about 14 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Hail

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Prior flood?

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

28paid claims since 1997

$375Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19972026

Biggest named events

Severe flooding: 9 claims, $55K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Big Stone County.

Disasters that hit Prior

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into PriorDeclared for Big Stone County only

Big Stone County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Prior

Prior and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Lockwoodmostly inland floodingHigh

Priormostly inland floodingModerate

Fostermostly inland floodingModerate

Toquamostly inland floodingModerate

Almondmostly cold wavesLow

Big Stonemostly cold wavesLow

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. Prior covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Prior’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Prior. 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 Prior total about $1.6M 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.