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Natural hazards · West Fargo

West Fargo, ND natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in West Fargo comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 266 claims here since 1978. 8 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is West Fargo?

36
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in West Fargo to be higher than in 36% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding36%Tornadoes19%Cold waves14%Strong wind10%Hail7%Winter weather7%Everything else8%
By hazard

What West Fargo faces

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

Inland flooding

36% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 21% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

19% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Cold waves

14% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. places
Recorded about 19 times a year in the area

Strong wind

10% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hail

7% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Winter weather

7% of expected damage
Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places
Recorded about 24 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 West Fargo flood?

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

266paid claims since 1978
$603Kpaid to owners
9homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Not a named storm: 47 claims, $91K
  • Midwest Flooding: 16 claims, $24K
  • Winter storm: 13 claims, $11K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. West Fargo isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cass County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

26flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters that hit West Fargo

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into West FargoDeclared for Cass County only
2020

Flooding

$42K to the City of West Fargo for repairs
2019

Flooding

$46K to the City of West Fargo for repairs
2011

Flooding

$170K to the City of West Fargo for repairs
2010

Flooding

$59K to the City of West Fargo for repairs
2009

Severe Storms and Flooding

68 households applied for aid $24K aid approved $417K to the City of West Fargo for repairs
2007

Severe Storms and Flooding

$15K to the City of West Fargo for repairs
2000

Severe Storms, Flooding and Ground Saturation

$238K to the City of West Fargo for repairs
1999

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

$93K to the City of West Fargo for repairs
Cass County has had 30 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.
Around West Fargo

West Fargo and the towns around it

Fargo: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMapleton: Low, mostly inland floodingBarnes: Low, mostly inland floodingReed: High, mostly inland floodingRaymond: High, mostly inland floodingHorace: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMoorhead: High, mostly inland floodingStanley: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMoorhead: Very high, mostly inland floodingKurtz: Very high, mostly inland floodingFrontier: High, mostly inland floodingPleasant: High, mostly inland floodingBriarwood: Moderate, mostly inland floodingOakport: Very high, mostly inland floodingHarwood: High, mostly inland floodingMapleton: High, mostly inland floodingWarren: High, mostly inland floodingReile's Acres: High, mostly inland floodingHarwood: High, mostly inland floodingNorth River: Low, mostly inland floodingKragnes: Very high, mostly inland floodingBerlin: Moderate, mostly strong windsHarmony: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNormanna: High, mostly inland floodingWest Fargo: Low, mostly inland flooding West FargoFargoMapletonBarnesReedRaymondHorace
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Reedmostly inland floodingHigh
Raymondmostly inland floodingHigh
Fargomostly inland floodingModerate
Horacemostly inland floodingModerate
West Fargomostly inland floodingLow
Mapletonmostly inland floodingLow
Barnesmostly 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. West Fargo covers 7 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to West Fargo’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of West Fargo. 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 West Fargo total about $10.6M 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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