Natural hazards · Minnesota

Minnesota, SD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Minnesota comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Minnesota?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Minnesota to be higher than in 41% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding38%Cold waves26%Tornadoes11%Strong wind8%Hail7%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Minnesota faces

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

Inland flooding

38% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 51% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

26% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. places

Recorded about 14 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

11% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Strong wind

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 91% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hail

7% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 41% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

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 Minnesota flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Minnesota.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Roberts County.

Disasters that hit Minnesota

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into MinnesotaDeclared for Roberts County only

Roberts County has had 22 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Minnesota

Minnesota and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Minnesotamostly inland floodingModerate

Lienmostly inland floodingModerate

Claire Citymostly inland floodingModerate

Norwaymostly inland floodingModerate

Enterprisemostly inland floodingModerate

Elmamostly cold wavesVery low

Duerrmostly 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. Minnesota is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Minnesota’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Minnesota. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

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.