Natural hazards · Marathon

Marathon, WI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Marathon comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1980.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Marathon?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

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

Inland flooding55%Cold waves30%Tornadoes8%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Marathon faces

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

Inland flooding

55% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

30% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 21% of U.S. places

Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 26 years in the area

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Marathon flood?

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

3paid claims since 1980

$16Kpaid to owners

1homes flooded more than once

19802026

Biggest named events

Severe flooding: 1 claim, $13K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Marathon County.

Disasters that hit Marathon

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into MarathonDeclared for Marathon County only

Marathon County has had 10 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Marathon

Marathon and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Stettinmostly inland floodingModerate

Marathon Citymostly inland floodingLow

Marathonmostly inland floodingLow

Casselmostly inland floodingLow

Rib Fallsmostly 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. Marathon 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 Marathon’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Village of Marathon. 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.