Natural hazards · Blackwell

Blackwell, WI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Blackwell comes from cold waves, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Blackwell?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Blackwell to be higher than in 16% of U.S. communities, mostly from cold waves and inland flooding.

Cold waves76%Inland flooding18%Everything else6%

By hazard

What Blackwell faces

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

Cold waves

76% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. places

Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

18% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 38% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce 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 Blackwell flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Forest County.

Disasters that hit Blackwell

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into BlackwellDeclared for Forest County only

Forest County has had 5 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Blackwell

Blackwell and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Silver Cliffmostly cold wavesLow

Goodmanmostly cold wavesLow

Blackwellmostly cold wavesVery low

Wabenomostly cold wavesVery low

Armstrong Creekmostly cold wavesVery low

Laonamostly 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. Blackwell covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Blackwell’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Blackwell. 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 Blackwell total about $3.3M 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.