Natural hazards · Hale

Hale, WI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Hale comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2015. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Hale?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Hale to be higher than in 64% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding57%Cold waves18%Tornadoes8%Hail5%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Hale faces

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

Inland flooding

57% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Cold waves

18% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 34% of U.S. places

Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 27 years in the area

Hail

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice 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 Hale flood?

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

4paid claims since 2015

$15Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20152026

Biggest named events

March 2019 Midwest Flooding: 1 claim, $407

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Trempealeau County.

Disasters that hit Hale

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into HaleDeclared for Trempealeau County only

2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

$8K to the Town of Hale for repairs

Trempealeau County has had 13 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Hale

Hale and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Pigeonmostly inland floodingHigh

Lincolnmostly inland floodingHigh

Burnsidemostly inland floodingHigh

Halemostly inland floodingHigh

Sumnermostly inland floodingHigh

Chimney Rockmostly inland floodingModerate

Unitymostly inland floodingModerate

Northfieldmostly inland floodingModerate

Garfieldmostly inland floodingModerate

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. Hale covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Hale’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Hale. 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 Hale total about $2.1M 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.