Natural hazards · Eau Claire

Eau Claire, WI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Eau Claire comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 17 claims here since 1980.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Eau Claire?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Eau Claire to be higher than in 39% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding49%Cold waves28%Tornadoes11%Strong wind5%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Eau Claire faces

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

Inland flooding

49% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 57% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Cold waves

28% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 33% of U.S. places

Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

11% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places

Strong wind

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat 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 Eau Claire flood?

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

17paid claims since 1980

$152Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19802026

Biggest named events

March 2019 Midwest Flooding: 1 claim, $3K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

🏷️ 05% off flood insurance. Eau Claire is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Eau Claire County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

76flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

1buildings floodproofed

Disasters that hit Eau Claire

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Eau ClaireDeclared for Eau Claire County only

Eau Claire County has had 7 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Eau Claire

Eau Claire and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Washingtonmostly inland floodingModerate

Altoonamostly inland floodingModerate

Brunswickmostly inland floodingModerate

Unionmostly inland floodingModerate

Lake Halliemostly inland floodingModerate

Seymourmostly inland floodingModerate

Eau Clairemostly inland floodingLow

Wheatonmostly 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. Eau Claire covers 14 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Eau Claire’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Eau Claire. 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 Eau Claire total about $27.0M 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.