Natural hazards · Wood River

Wood River, WI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Wood River comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Wood River?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Wood River to be higher than in 34% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding45%Cold waves28%Tornadoes9%Strong wind5%Hail5%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Wood River faces

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

Inland flooding

45% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 51% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Cold waves

28% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 67% of U.S. places

Recorded about 10 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

9% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 19 years in the area

Strong wind

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 91% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hail

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% 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 Wood River flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Burnett County.

Disasters that hit Wood River

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Wood River itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Town of Wood River.

Brought FEMA money into Wood RiverDeclared for Burnett County only

2016

Severe Storms and Flooding

$11K to the Town of Wood River for repairs

2001

Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes

$68K to the Town of Wood River for repairs

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

Around Wood River

Wood River and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Wood Rivermostly inland floodingLow

Trade Lakemostly inland floodingLow

Andersonmostly inland floodingLow

West Swedenmostly inland floodingLow

Grantsburgmostly cold wavesVery low

West Marshlandmostly cold wavesVery low

Danielsmostly 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. Wood River 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 Wood River’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Wood River. 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.