Natural hazards · Milwaukee

Milwaukee, WI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Milwaukee comes from cold waves, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1,369 claims here since 1978. 9 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Milwaukee?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Milwaukee to be higher than in 24% of U.S. communities, mostly from cold waves and inland flooding.

Cold waves53%Inland flooding28%Tornadoes9%Heat waves8%Everything else2%

By hazard

What Milwaukee faces

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

Cold waves

53% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 40% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

28% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 50% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 60% of U.S. places

Heat waves

8% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 56% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingHurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Milwaukee flood?

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

1,369paid claims since 1978

$14.9Mpaid to owners

231homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

2025-08-MilwaukeeMetro-Flood: 115 claims, $4.2M
Storm: 31 claims, $199K
2026-04-Flooding: 6 claims, $113K

Homes that flooded again and again

Each house = 4 homes. ■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (5) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Milwaukee County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

60buildings floodproofed

21flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters that hit Milwaukee

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into MilwaukeeDeclared for Milwaukee County only

2026

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

27,309 households applied for aid $63.7M aid approved

2025

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Mudslides

39,300 households applied for aid $177M aid approved

2020

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$51K to the City of Milwaukee for repairs

2010

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

31,176 households applied for aid $58.4M aid approved $2.9M to the City of Milwaukee for repairs

2008

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

16,365 households applied for aid $13.9M aid approved $1.5M to the City of Milwaukee for repairs

2008

Record Snow and Near Record Snow

$940K to the City of Milwaukee for repairs

2004

Severe Storms and Flooding

4,364 households applied for aid $2.8M aid approved

2000

Snow

$803K to the City of Milwaukee for repairs

2000

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

$35K to the City of Milwaukee for repairs

Milwaukee County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Milwaukee

Milwaukee and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Whitefish Baymostly cold wavesModerate

Glendalemostly inland floodingModerate

Shorewoodmostly cold wavesModerate

Brown Deermostly inland floodingLow

Milwaukeemostly cold wavesLow

Wauwatosamostly cold wavesVery low

Menomonee Fallsmostly inland floodingVery low

Greenfieldmostly cold wavesVery low

Oak Creekmostly cold wavesVery low

West Allismostly cold wavesVery low

Cudahymostly cold wavesVery low

St. Francismostly cold wavesVery low

West Milwaukeemostly 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. Milwaukee covers 210 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Milwaukee’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Milwaukee. 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 Milwaukee total about $204M 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.