Natural hazards · Ellendale

Ellendale, ND natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Ellendale comes from cold waves, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Ellendale?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Ellendale to be higher than in 24% of U.S. communities, mostly from cold waves and inland flooding.

Cold waves51%Inland flooding19%Tornadoes8%Hail6%Strong wind6%Winter weather6%Everything else5%

By hazard

What Ellendale faces

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

Cold waves

51% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. places

Recorded about 17 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

19% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 9% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. places

Hail

6% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Strong wind

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Winter weather

6% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 23 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesLandslidesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Ellendale flood?

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

Disasters that hit Ellendale

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into EllendaleDeclared for Dickey County only

Dickey County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Ellendale

Ellendale and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Eldenmostly cold wavesLow

Elmmostly cold wavesLow

Van Metermostly cold wavesLow

Ellendalemostly 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. Ellendale covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Ellendale’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Ellendale. 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 Ellendale total about $1.1M 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.