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Natural hazards · Janesville

Janesville, WI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Janesville comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 52 claims here since 1979. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Janesville?

49
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Janesville to be higher than in 49% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding50%Cold waves19%Tornadoes18%Everything else13%
By hazard

What Janesville faces

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

Inland flooding

50% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

19% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 30% of U.S. places
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

18% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Janesville flood?

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

52paid claims since 1979
$986Kpaid to owners
3homes flooded more than once
19792026

Biggest named events

  • Storm: 6 claims, $436K
  • 2026-04-Flooding: 3 claims, $56K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Janesville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Rock County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

13flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters that hit Janesville

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into JanesvilleDeclared for Rock County only
2026

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

723 households applied for aid $3.2M aid approved $77K to the City of Janesville for repairs
2008

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

324 households applied for aid $691K aid approved $658K to the City of Janesville for repairs
2008

Record Snow and Near Record Snow

$68K to the City of Janesville for repairs
2007

Severe Storms and Flooding

54 households applied for aid $27K aid approved
2004

Severe Storms and Flooding

2 households applied for aid $2K aid approved
2000

Snow

$39K to the City of Janesville for repairs
Rock County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Janesville

Janesville and the towns around it

Janesville: Low, mostly inland floodingHarmony: Moderate, mostly inland floodingRock: Low, mostly inland floodingLa Prairie: High, mostly inland floodingCenter: Low, mostly inland floodingFulton: High, mostly inland floodingJohnstown: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMilton: Moderate, mostly inland floodingBeloit: Moderate, mostly inland floodingPlymouth: Low, mostly inland floodingBradford: Moderate, mostly inland floodingTurtle: Moderate, mostly inland floodingJanesville: Moderate, mostly inland flooding JanesvilleJanesvilleHarmonyRockLa Prairie
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
La Prairiemostly inland floodingHigh
Harmonymostly inland floodingModerate
Janesvillemostly inland floodingModerate
Rockmostly inland floodingLow
Janesvillemostly 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. Janesville covers 13 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Janesville’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Janesville. 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 Janesville total about $19.0M 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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