Natural hazards · Williston

Williston, ND natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Williston comes from cold waves, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1999.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Williston?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Williston to be higher than in 9% of U.S. communities, mostly from cold waves and inland flooding.

Cold waves51%Inland flooding25%Tornadoes8%Winter weather6%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Williston 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

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

Recorded about 19 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

25% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 15% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Tornadoes

8% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 56% of U.S. places

Winter weather

6% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 16 times a year in the area

Lower here

HailIce stormsHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Williston flood?

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

2paid claims since 1999

$43Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19992026

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Williams County.

Disasters that hit Williston

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into WillistonDeclared for Williams County only

Williams County has had 18 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Williston

Williston and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Trimostly inland floodingModerate

Willistonmostly cold wavesVery low

Stony Creekmostly inland floodingVery low

Willistonmostly cold wavesVery low

Judsonmostly cold wavesVery low

Missouri Ridgemostly cold wavesVery low

Trentonmostly cold wavesVery low

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. Williston covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Williston’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Williston. 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 Williston total about $2.5M 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.