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Natural hazards · Grand Forks

Grand Forks, ND natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Grand Forks comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2,466 claims here since 1978. 14 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Grand Forks?

35
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Grand Forks to be higher than in 35% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding49%Tornadoes11%Hail8%Winter weather8%Strong wind8%Cold waves7%Everything else9%
By hazard

What Grand Forks faces

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

Inland flooding

49% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 39% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

11% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 75% of U.S. places

Hail

8% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Winter weather

8% of expected damage
Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places
Recorded about 24 times a year in the area

Strong wind

8% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 91% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

7% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 75% of U.S. places
Recorded about 22 times a year in the area

Lower here

Heat 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 Grand Forks flood?

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

2,466paid claims since 1978
$71.2Mpaid to owners
28homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Not a named storm: 196 claims, $1.5M
  • Severe flooding: 10 claims, $16K
  • Late spring storms: 3 claims, $3K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (22) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
🏷️ 25% off flood insurance. Grand Forks is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Grand Forks County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

361flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
2flood-prone homes bought out and moved
Disasters that hit Grand Forks

14 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Grand Forks itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Grand Forks.

Brought FEMA money into Grand ForksDeclared for Grand Forks County only
2025

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes

$140K to the City of Grand Forks for repairs
2023

Flooding

$8K to the City of Grand Forks for repairs
2022

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$228K to the City of Grand Forks for repairs
2020

Flooding

$262K to the City of Grand Forks for repairs
2019

Flooding

$311K to the City of Grand Forks for repairs
2011

Flooding

$87K to the City of Grand Forks for repairs
2010

Flooding

$80K to the City of Grand Forks for repairs
2009

Severe Storms and Flooding

47 households applied for aid $25K aid approved $414K to the City of Grand Forks for repairs
2007

Severe Storms and Tornadoes

4 households applied for aid
2006

Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ground Saturation

$317K to the City of Grand Forks for repairs
2002

Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes

$51K to the City of Grand Forks for repairs
2001

Severe Storms, Flooding, & Ground Saturation

$1.9M to the City of Grand Forks for repairs
2000

Severe Storms, Flooding and Ground Saturation

$2K to the City of Grand Forks for repairs
1999

Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow, Ice, Ground Saturation, Lanslides, Mudslides, and Tor

$691K to the City of Grand Forks for repairs
Grand Forks County has had 32 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.
Around Grand Forks

Grand Forks and the towns around it

Grand Forks: Moderate, mostly inland floodingRhinehart: Very high, mostly inland floodingRye: Low, mostly inland floodingEast Grand Forks: Low, mostly inland floodingFalconer: Low, mostly inland floodingBrenna: Low, mostly inland floodingHuntsville: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWalle: Moderate, mostly inland floodingBygland: Very high, mostly inland floodingFerry: High, mostly inland floodingBlooming: High, mostly inland floodingGrand Forks: Moderate, mostly cold wavesSullivan: Very high, mostly inland floodingOakville: Low, mostly inland floodingAllendale: Moderate, mostly inland floodingGrand Forks: Low, mostly inland flooding Grand ForksGrand ForksRhinehartRyeEast Grand ForksFalconerBrenna
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Rhinehartmostly inland floodingVery high
Grand Forksmostly inland floodingModerate
Grand Forksmostly inland floodingLow
Ryemostly inland floodingLow
Falconermostly inland floodingLow
Brennamostly inland floodingLow
East Grand Forksmostly 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. Grand Forks covers 16 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Grand Forks’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Grand Forks. 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 Grand Forks total about $14.1M 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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