Natural hazards · Waterville

Waterville, WI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Waterville comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Waterville?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Waterville to be higher than in 46% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding52%Tornadoes14%Cold waves13%Strong wind10%Hail7%Everything else5%

By hazard

What Waterville faces

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

Inland flooding

52% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 58% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

14% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 11 years in the area

Cold waves

13% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 31% of U.S. places

Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Strong wind

10% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hail

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

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 Waterville flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Pepin County.

Disasters that hit Waterville

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into WatervilleDeclared for Pepin County only

Pepin County has had 11 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Waterville

Waterville and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Unionmostly inland floodingModerate

Watervillemostly inland floodingModerate

Frankfortmostly inland floodingModerate

Waubeekmostly inland floodingModerate

Eau Gallemostly inland floodingModerate

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