Natural hazards · Grafton

Grafton, ND natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Grafton comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 152 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Grafton?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Grafton to be higher than in 62% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding68%Tornadoes8%Cold waves6%Everything else19%

By hazard

What Grafton faces

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

Inland flooding

68% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 76% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places

Cold waves

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 76% of U.S. places

Recorded about 22 times a year in the area

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

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 Grafton flood?

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

152paid claims since 1978

$572Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 76 claims, $226K
Late spring storms: 10 claims, $55K
Winter storm: 3 claims, $4K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Walsh County.

Disasters that hit Grafton

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into GraftonDeclared for Walsh County only

Walsh County has had 34 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Grafton

Grafton and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Graftonmostly inland floodingHigh

Oakwoodmostly inland floodingModerate

Farmingtonmostly inland floodingLow

Fertilemostly 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. Grafton covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Grafton’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Grafton. 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 Grafton total about $1.5M 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.