Natural hazards · St. Cloud

St. Cloud, MN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in St. Cloud comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is St. Cloud?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

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

Inland flooding57%Tornadoes16%Cold waves10%Strong wind7%Everything else10%

By hazard

What St. Cloud faces

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

Inland flooding

57% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

16% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Cold waves

10% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 36% of U.S. places

Recorded about 13 times a year in the area

Strong wind

7% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 3 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 St. Cloud flood?

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

10paid claims since 1979

$25Kpaid to owners

1homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Severe flooding: 2 claims, $3K
Not a named storm: 1 claim, $427

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. St. Cloud isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Stearns County.

Disasters that hit St. Cloud

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into St. CloudDeclared for Stearns County only

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

Around St. Cloud

St. Cloud and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Le Saukmostly inland floodingVery high

Clear Lakemostly inland floodingHigh

Sartellmostly inland floodingHigh

Lyndenmostly inland floodingHigh

Sauk Rapidsmostly inland floodingModerate

St. Cloudmostly inland floodingModerate

Sauk Rapidsmostly inland floodingModerate

Havenmostly inland floodingModerate

St. Josephmostly inland floodingLow

Mindenmostly inland floodingLow

St. Augustamostly inland floodingLow

Waite Parkmostly inland floodingVery low

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. St. Cloud covers 13 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to St. Cloud’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of St. Cloud. 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 St. Cloud total about $21.4M 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.