Natural hazards · Highland

Highland, WI natural hazards

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

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Highland?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Highland to be higher than in 21% of U.S. communities, mostly from cold waves and inland flooding.

Cold waves45%Inland flooding44%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Highland faces

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

Cold waves

45% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places

Recorded about 11 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

44% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 48% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesEarthquakesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Highland flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Douglas County.

Disasters that hit Highland

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into HighlandDeclared for Douglas County only

Douglas County has had 8 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Highland

Highland and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Barnesmostly inland floodingLow

Highlandmostly cold wavesLow

Solon Springsmostly cold wavesLow

Brulemostly cold wavesVery low

Gordonmostly cold wavesVery low

Bennettmostly cold wavesVery low

Lake Nebagamonmostly cold wavesVery low

Hughesmostly 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. Highland 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 Highland’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Highland. 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.