Natural hazards · Commonwealth

Commonwealth, WI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Commonwealth comes from cold waves, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Commonwealth?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Commonwealth to be higher than in 19% of U.S. communities, mostly from cold waves.

Cold waves89%Inland flooding9%Everything else3%

By hazard

What Commonwealth faces

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

Cold waves

89% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

9% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 39% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 4 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 Commonwealth flood?

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

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Florence County.

Disasters that hit Commonwealth

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Commonwealth itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Town of Commonwealth.

Brought FEMA money into CommonwealthDeclared for Florence County only

1999

Wi-Flood-07/20/99

$39K to the Town of Commonwealth for repairs

Florence County has had 4 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.

Around Commonwealth

Commonwealth and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Fernmostly cold wavesLow

Homesteadmostly cold wavesLow

Auroramostly cold wavesLow

Commonwealthmostly cold wavesVery low

Florencemostly 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. Commonwealth covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Commonwealth’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Commonwealth. 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 Commonwealth total about $5.7M 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.