Natural hazards · Harriston

Harriston, ND natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Harriston comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 168 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Harriston?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Harriston to be higher than in 43% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding50%Cold waves21%Tornadoes8%Hail7%Everything else14%

By hazard

What Harriston faces

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

Inland flooding

50% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 49% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

21% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 22 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Hail

7% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice 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 Harriston flood?

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

168paid claims since 1978

$1.1Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 19 claims, $71K
Severe flooding: 5 claims, $18K
Late spring storms: 2 claims, $10K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Harriston 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 Harriston

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into HarristonDeclared for Walsh County only

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

Around Harriston

Harriston and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Harristonmostly inland floodingModerate

Ardochmostly inland floodingModerate

Pulaskimostly inland floodingModerate

Mintomostly inland floodingModerate

Oakwoodmostly inland floodingModerate

Walsh Centremostly 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. Harriston covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Harriston’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Harriston. 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 Harriston total about $2.9M 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.