Natural hazards · Washington Lake

Washington Lake, MN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Washington Lake comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Washington Lake?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Washington Lake to be higher than in 49% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and strong winds.

Inland flooding47%Strong wind15%Cold waves14%Tornadoes11%Hail8%Everything else5%

By hazard

What Washington Lake faces

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

Inland flooding

47% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 54% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Strong wind

15% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Cold waves

14% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 17% of U.S. places

Recorded about 11 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

11% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Hail

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 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 Washington Lake flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Washington Lake.

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Sibley County.

Disasters that hit Washington Lake

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Washington LakeDeclared for Sibley County only

Sibley County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Washington Lake

Washington Lake and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Washington Lakemostly inland floodingModerate

Green Islemostly inland floodingModerate

Jessenlandmostly inland floodingModerate

Faxonmostly inland floodingModerate

Green Islemostly inland floodingModerate

Young Americamostly 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. Washington Lake is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Washington Lake’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Washington Lake. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

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.