Hazard Plain Automated baseline

Wadena County, MN

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
27159
Release:
2026-10
Data as of:
2026-09-30
Storm Events data through:
2026-06-30

Hazard Plain is an independent product built from public federal data. It is not a FEMA document and is not reviewed or endorsed by FEMA or any state agency.

Hazard Plain release 2026-10, as of 2026-09-30.

Summary

Plan status as of 2026-09-30: Approved, expires 2028-05-03. Plan: Wadena County (FEMA plan 108908), approved 2023-05-04.

Since the plan was approved on 2023-05-04: no new hazard declaration and 50 NOAA Storm Events records; details under "What changed since your last plan".

Highest expected annual loss (FEMA National Risk Index, modeled total; see B1-a): Inland Flooding ($2,987,895 a year), Cold Wave ($608,482) and Tornado ($486,526).

The tables that follow are organized by the items of FEMA's Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool, Element B (B1-a to B2-c); each heading says which item its tables support.

Plan clock

Status:
Approved, expires 2028-05-03
Plan:
Wadena County (FEMA plan 108908)
Approved:
2023-05-04
Days to expiry:
581

What changed since your last plan (approved 2023-05-04)

New federal declarations:
none
Storm Events records since approval:
50 records (data through 2026-06-30)
Repetitive loss now:
FMA RL 0, SRL 0 (44 CFR 77.2); any definition: 0
Repeat-flood change:
this release sets the baseline count.

Sources: 1, 2, 4, 6 (numbered list at the end)

Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county

Source: 1

JurisdictionTypeStatusPlanApprovedExpiresDays to expirynegative = days since expiryUpdate underwayNotes
Wadena CountyCountyApproved, expires 2028-05-03Wadena County (FEMA plan 108908)2023-05-042028-05-03581
Aldrich cityCityApproved, expires 2028-05-03Wadena County (FEMA plan 108908)2023-05-042028-05-03581
Menahga cityCityApproved, expires 2028-05-03Wadena County (FEMA plan 108908)2023-05-042028-05-03581
Nimrod cityCityPlan 108908 approved 2023-05-04, pending adoption here; not yet eligibleWadena County (FEMA plan 108908), pending adoption here2023-05-04 by FEMA; not yet adopted here2028-05-03 once adoptedFEMA tracker shows a plan approvable pending adoptionNot yet eligible: adopt the approved plan.
Sebeka cityCityApproved, expires 2028-05-03Wadena County (FEMA plan 108908)2023-05-042028-05-03581
Staples cityCityApproved, expires 2031-05-03Todd County 2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 111479)2026-05-042031-05-031,676Also approved under plan 108908 (Wadena County, expires 2028-05-03). FEMA's plan status map shows one plan per jurisdiction and may show one of these; this packet uses the approved plan that expires last.
Verndale cityCityApproved, expires 2028-05-03Wadena County (FEMA plan 108908)2023-05-042028-05-03581
Wadena cityCityApproved, expires 2028-05-03Wadena County (FEMA plan 108908)2023-05-042028-05-03581Also approved under plan 108247 (Otter Tail County Hazard Mitigation Plan, expires 2027-12-18). FEMA's plan status map shows one plan per jurisdiction and may show one of these; this packet uses the approved plan that expires last.

State plan status and tribal plans in this state: see the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-a: hazard identification

Hazards NRI does not cover (local data needed)

  • dam failure (incl. upstream dams)
  • levee failure
  • flash flood as its own subtype
  • ice jams
  • debris flows
  • erosion (riverine and coastal)
  • land subsidence and sinkholes
  • expansive soils

The 18 National Risk Index hazards, ranked by expected annual loss (EAL)

Sources: 5, 6

Rank by EALHazardNRI risk ratingEAL ratingEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL total (see note)modeled dollars per yearStorm Events records, 1996 to 2026-06-30countWhy this hazard can be left outNRI Not Applicable, no declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996Storm Events coverage note
1Inland FloodingVery LowVery Low$2,983,417$4,463$15$2,987,89514
2Cold WaveRelatively LowRelatively Low$1,314$127$607,040$608,48256Includes 6 Frost/Freeze records (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition; counted in this table and in B1-d, not in the B1-e descriptor).
3TornadoRelatively LowRelatively Low$408,900$1,895$75,730$486,52615
4Strong WindRelatively LowRelatively Low$76,179$19,627$249,545$345,352107Includes 11 High Wind records (a NOAA non-thunderstorm wind type, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition).
5DroughtRelatively LowRelatively Lown/a$254,080n/a$254,08030
6WildfireRelatively LowRelatively Low$103,751$237$11,177$115,1650No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
7LightningRelatively LowRelatively Low$8,313n/a$92,718$101,0311
8Winter WeatherRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$48,188$364$47,381$95,93389
9HailVery LowVery Low$15,101$53,868$18,584$87,553151
10Heat WaveVery LowVery Low$350under $1$47,544$47,8942
11EarthquakeVery LowVery Low$3,558n/a$871$4,430Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
12Ice StormVery LowVery Low$650n/a$288$9383
13LandslideVery LowVery Low$14n/a$507$5210Declared 1 time; no Storm Events record of this type.
HurricaneNot ApplicableNot Applicable0NRI rates hurricane Not Applicable for this county, and no counted federal declaration for this county names it (EM-3242-MN names it but is not counted as a local occurrence; see B1-d).No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).

Total = buildings + agriculture + population equivalence; FEMA values each expected death (or 10 injuries) at $13.7 million (2024 dollars).

NRI risk rating combines expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience; EAL rating rates expected annual loss alone. Both compare this county with all U.S. counties.

Local data needed: state and local wildfire and landslide records (Storm Events records these hazards only in part).

Not applicable to this county per NRI, with no federal declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996: avalanche, coastal flooding, tsunami and volcanic activity. That is the evidence for leaving them out of the plan.

The state hazard mitigation plan also lists hazards for this county; FEMA asks the plan to explain any hazard it leaves out.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-b: hazard location

Affects the whole county (national data give no location within it): Cold Wave, Drought, Hail, Heat Wave, Ice Storm, Lightning, Strong Wind and Winter Weather.

Inland Flooding: The FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) is the required location source for flooding. See the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (https://msc.fema.gov) for this county.

Hazards that vary within the county: highest-rated census tracts

Source: 5

HazardHighest-rated census tractsNRI risk rating, score 0 to 100
Earthquaketract 4803 (Very Low, 11.2); tract 4802 (Very Low, 9.0); tract 4801 (Very Low, 5.8)
Hurricaneno tract has a National Risk Index rating for this hazard
Landslidetract 4802 (Relatively Low, 87.3); tract 4801 (Relatively Low, 86.9); tract 4803 (Very Low, 64.1)
Tornadotract 4803 (Relatively High, 79.0); tract 4802 (Relatively Moderate, 74.1); tract 4801 (Relatively Moderate, 63.7)
Wildfiretract 4802 (Relatively Moderate, 93.2); tract 4801 (Relatively Moderate, 92.4); tract 4803 (Relatively Low, 86.0)

Up to 3 census tracts per hazard, highest National Risk Index rating first, then highest score; a tract number is the Census tract number (for example 4803 is Census Tract 4803). FEMA's Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool maps the National Risk Index for every tract: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/resilience-analysis-and-planning-tool

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-c: hazard extent

Extent: scale, observed range and worst recorded event per hazard

Sources: 6, 7

HazardScaleRecordscount and yearsObserved rangeWorst recorded eventMost damaging (when different)How it applies to jurisdictionsNote
Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chillwind chill50 records, 1996 to 2026 (50 zone-level)1 day to 7 days (median 2 days); 43 with a recorded value7 consecutive days, 1996-12-21 to 1996-12-27, zone-levelCold/Wind Chill, 2003-03-08, $21,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 2003 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).Cold/Wind Chill records from May to September (a frost night, not a cold wave) are counted but not used for the longest run.
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage6 records, 2015 to 2026 (6 zone-level)No crop damage reported in 6 records.Countywide (zone-level records).
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)30 records, 2006 to 2025 (30 zone-level)22 days to 260 days (median 121 days); 7 with a recorded value260 days (about 8.5 months), 2006-07-18 to 2007-04-03, a run of 10 consecutive Storm Events drought records, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).Storm Events enters a drought at D2 or worse east of the Rockies and D3 or worse from the Rockies west (NWS Instruction 10-1605); NRI drought counts D3 and D4 only.
EarthquakeModified Mercalli (local data)0Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hailhail size (inches)170 records, 1959 to 20260.75 in to 4 in (median 1 in); 170 with a recorded value4 in hail, 2024-08-03; same size also recorded on 2010-07-17, 2024-08-03Hail, 2010-07-17, $100,000 property; $100,000 crops (2010 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Wadena city (36 records), Sebeka city (27 records), Menahga city (17 records), Nimrod city (13 records), Verndale city (10 records), Aldrich city (7 records), Staples city (2 records).
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)2 records, 2001 to 2011 (2 zone-level)2 days to 5 days (median 3.5 days); 2 with a recorded value5 consecutive days, 2011-07-16 to 2011-07-20, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).
Hurricane, Tropical Storm, Tropical DepressionSaffir-Simpson0Storm Events files every zone of a storm's episode under the storm's type; flooding from the storm is filed as Flood or Flash Flood records.
Ice StormSperry-Piltz ice scale (local data)3 records, 2004 to 2016 (3 zone-level)No damage reported in 3 records.Countywide (zone-level records).
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)14 records, 2000 to 2018Flash Flood, 2018-06-17, $10,000 property; $75,000 crops (2018 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Wadena city (7 records), Sebeka city (4 records), Aldrich city (1 record), Menahga city (1 record), Nimrod city (1 record), Staples city (1 record).Flood depth: see the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map. Storm Events damage is often $0 or blank for floods, major ones included; FEMA Public Assistance by declaration (B1-d) shows which floods cost the most.
Debris Flownone (count and damage only)0
Lightningannualized frequency (the measure FEMA's Local Mitigation Planning Handbook names)1 record, 2000Lightning, 2000-08-12, $20,000 property; crops not reported (2000 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Menahga city (1 record).Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties.
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)11 records, 2000 to 2025 (11 zone-level)35 kt (40 mph) to 64 kt (74 mph) (median 50 kt (58 mph)); 11 with a recorded value64 kt (74 mph) measured, High Wind, 2000-04-05; NWS zone MNZ032High Wind, 2008-06-11, $100,000 property; $50,000 crops (zone total, 2008 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)112 records, 1962 to 202650 kt (58 mph) to 87 kt (100 mph) (median 60 kt (69 mph)); 86 with a recorded value87 kt (100 mph) estimated gust, Thunderstorm Wind, 2016-08-04Thunderstorm Wind, 1998-09-25, $500,000 property; crops not reported (1998 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Wadena city (22 records), Verndale city (19 records), Menahga city (12 records), Aldrich city (9 records), Sebeka city (9 records), Nimrod city (6 records), Staples city (4 records).
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)22 records, 1964 to 2022F/EF0 to F/EF4 (median F/EF1); 22 with a recorded valueEF4 tornado, 2010-06-17, 8 mi within this county, 1,936 yd wide, damage not reported, 20 direct injuriesTornado, 2008-06-06, $5,000,000 property; $500,000 crops (2008 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Verndale city (4 records), Aldrich city (2 records), Nimrod city (2 records), Menahga city (1 record), Sebeka city (1 record), Staples city (1 record), Wadena city (1 record).Before 1996 a tornado is listed once, under the county where it began, with its whole path's rating and length; from 1996 on, each county lists its own segment. Length is not used to rank tornadoes (see Methods).
Wildfireacres burned (local data)0
Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleetnone in data (snowfall: local data)89 records, 1996 to 2025 (89 zone-level)No damage reported in 89 records.Countywide (zone-level records).

In event narratives only (local data needed): wind chill, temperature, heat index, ice thickness, acres burned and snow depth; any physical measure of debris flow and lightning.

Storm Events records are more complete after 1996; before 1996 only Tornado (from 1950), Hail and Thunderstorm Wind (from 1955) exist. Zone-level records from zones that no NWS zone-county file places in this county (mostly before 2020) are not counted here (the Methods page explains the zone matching).

Dollars are nominal (as reported), labeled with the year; not adjusted for inflation.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-d: previous occurrences

Federal declarations for this county: 15 declarations covering 12 separate hazard incidents counted in this packet (declarations for the same incident count once; non-natural and evacuation-only declarations are not counted).

Federal disaster declarations for this county

Sources: 1, 2, 3

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazardCounty Public Assistancefederal share obligated, nominal dollarsFlagsNotes
2022-08-092022-05-29DR-4666-MNMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Strong Wind; Tornado$21,745.79in the 12 months before plan approval; within last 5 years
2022-07-082022-05-08DR-4658-MNMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Strong Wind; Tornado$31,547.66in the 12 months before plan approval; within last 5 years
2020-04-072020-01-20DR-4531-MNMajor disasterCOVID-19 PandemicNon-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recorded
2020-03-132020-01-20EM-3453-MNEmergencyCOVID-19Non-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4531
2014-07-212014-06-11DR-4182-MNMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and MudslidesInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Landslide, Strong Wind$113,580.47
2010-07-022010-06-17DR-1921-MNMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingTornado (primary); also designated: Inland Flooding$7,385,501.99
2009-04-092009-03-16DR-1830-MNMajor disasterSevere Storms and FloodingInland Flooding$171,356.48
2005-09-132005-08-29EM-3242-MNEmergencyHurricane Katrina EvacuationHurricane: evacuation support, not a local hazard event; not countedno Public Assistance recorded
1997-04-081997-03-21DR-1175-MNMajor disasterSevere Flooding, High Winds,Severe StormsInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Strong Windno Public Assistance recorded
1997-01-161997-01-03DR-1158-MNMajor disasterSevere Winter StormsWinter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded
1995-08-181995-07-09DR-1064-MNMajor disasterSevere Thunderstorms, Winds, Flooding, Tornadoes, and HeatInland Flooding; Tornadono Public Assistance recorded
1976-06-171976-06-17EM-3013-MNEmergencyDroughtDroughtno Public Assistance recorded
1969-04-181969-04-18DR-255-MNMajor disasterFloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1966-03-221966-03-22DR-215-MNMajor disasterFloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1965-04-111965-04-11DR-188-MNMajor disasterFloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded

County Public Assistance: applicants the FEMA record places in this county, including any state agencies FEMA files there; statewide rows are listed on the state page; federal share obligated, nominal dollars.

Statewide declarations

Source: 2

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazard
1957-06-221957-06-22DR-80-MNMajor disasterFloodsInland Flooding

FEMA recorded these with designated area Statewide and no county, so they are listed on every county page in the state and not counted with county rows. Local data needed: whether each one affected this county.

7 Fire Management declarations (1976-09-08 to 1976-10-01) FEMA filed as Statewide with no county; each names one local fire. Listed on the state page.

Public Assistance filed under this county for declarations that do not list it: 6 rows, $71,369.15

Sources: 2, 3

FEMA numberDeclaredTitleApplicantPA obligatedfederal share obligated, nominal dollars
DR-1982-MN2011-05-10Severe Storms and FloodingSPRUCE GROVE (TOWNSHIP OF)$7,208.45
DR-1982-MN2011-05-10Severe Storms and FloodingPADDOCK (TOWNSHIP OF)$1,255.50
DR-1419-MN2002-06-14Severe Storms, Flooding and TornadoesSTRAIGHT RIVER (TOWNSHIP OF)$7,740.75
DR-1370-MN2001-05-16Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and TornadoesSTOWE PRAIRIE (TOWNSHIP OF)$18,491.44
DR-1370-MN2001-05-16Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and TornadoesPADDOCK (TOWNSHIP OF)$29,167.50
DR-1370-MN2001-05-16Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and TornadoesBlowers, Township of$7,505.51

FEMA's Public Assistance summaries file these applicants under this county, but FEMA's declaration rows for these disasters do not designate it (an electric cooperative or district serving several counties, for example). Not in any declaration row above and not counted.

Public Assistance not placed in any Minnesota county: 14 rows, $9,133,931.59; listed on the Minnesota state page.

Source: 3

Previous occurrences by hazard, with explicit no-event rows

Sources: 2, 6, 7

HazardStorm Events records, all years on file(years in the Period column)Since plan approvalrecordsIn the 12 months before plan approvalrecordsLast 5 yearsrecordsDeclared incidents, all yearsseparate disastersDeclared since approvalseparate disastersPeriodStatement
Cold Wave566112001996 to 2026-06-30Includes 6 Frost/Freeze records.
Drought3015015101996 to 2026-06-30
Earthquake000000Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail17019423001955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave2000001996 to 2026-06-30
Hurricane0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Ice Storm3000001996 to 2026-06-30
Inland Flooding140001001996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide0000101996 to 2026-06-30No Storm Events records of this type; 1 federal declared incident (see declarations table)
Lightning1000001996 to 2026-06-30
Strong Wind1234913401955 to 2026-06-30Includes 11 High Wind records.
Tornado22033401950 to 2026-06-30
Wildfire0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Winter Weather896719101996 to 2026-06-30

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationFlagsWhy listed
2024-08-03Hail4 indamage not reported0, 0WADENAnew since last plan; within last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Hail
2018-06-17Flash Flood$10,000 property; $75,000 crops (2018 dollars)0, 0NIMROD to CENTRALB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood
2016-08-04Thunderstorm Wind87 kt (100 mph) estimated gustdamage not reported0, 0MENAHGAB1-c worst recorded: Thunderstorm Wind
2011-07-16Excessive Heatdamage not reported0, 0NWS zone MNZ032 (WADENA), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Excessive Heat, Heat
2010-06-17TornadoEF4, 8 mi within this county, 1,936 yd widedamage not reported0, 20WADENAdeaths or injuries recorded
2006-07-18Droughtdamage not reported0, 0NWS zone MNZ032 (WADENA), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Drought
2003-03-08Cold/Wind Chill$21,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 2003 dollars)0, 0NWS zone MNZ032 (WADENA), zone-levelB1-c most damaging: Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
2000-08-12Lightning$20,000 property; crops not reported (2000 dollars)0, 0MENAHGAB1-c worst recorded: Lightning
2000-07-08TornadoF2, 8 mi within this county, 100 yd wide$500,000 property; crops not reported (2000 dollars)0, 3VERNDALEdeaths or injuries recorded
2000-04-05High Wind64 kt (74 mph) measureddamage not reported0, 0NWS zone MNZ032 (WADENA), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: High Wind and Strong Wind
1998-09-25Thunderstorm Windspeed not recorded$500,000 property; crops not reported (1998 dollars)0, 3VERNDALEdeaths or injuries recorded
1996-12-21Cold/Wind Chilldamage not reported0, 0NWS zone MNZ032 (WADENA), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chill

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (510 rows).

Location is the place NOAA recorded, as written in its data; it need not be a jurisdiction in this plan.

Local data needed: state-declared emergencies, from your state emergency management agency (federal data do not include them).

Tribal and special-area declarations in this state are listed on the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-e: probability of future events

Probability: FEMA annualized frequency and descriptor per hazard

Sources: 5, 6

HazardFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)unit per rowUnitIn plain termsDescriptorDescriptor basisNRI events or days in its record period (hail, wind and tornado are area-weighted, so can be fractional)NRI periodLocationNote
Cold Wave14.6event-days per yearabout 14.6 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 21 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (70%)2782005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Drought12.3event-days per yearabout 12.3 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 6 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (20%)3502000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywide
Earthquake0.000113annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 0.0113%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail3.44events per yearabout 3.44 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)130.9 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Wave0.948event-days per yearabout 0.948 days per yearPossibleStorm Events event-days in 2 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (6.67%)142005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Hurricaneevents per year1851 to 2024 (Atlantic)see B1-fNot Applicable in NRI for this county; no descriptor.
Ice Storm0.0148event-days per yearabout 0.0148 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 3 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (10%)11946-12-31 to 2014-02-12 (67 years)countywide
Inland Flooding0.464event-days per yearabout 0.464 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 10 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (33.3%)131996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide0.0636events per year (modeled)about 1 in 16 yearsPossibleFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning29.9days per year with a strikeabout 29.9 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind2.2events per yearabout 2.2 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)841986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.239events per yearabout 1 in 4 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Wildfire0.00105annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 0.105%Storm Events records in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor: no Storm Events record 1996 to 2025
Winter Weather17.1event-days per yearabout 17.1 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 25 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (83.3%)3252005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide

FEMA annualized frequency (modeled) is the National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025) estimate of how often a hazard affects this county in a year; it is not recorded events divided by years, and its unit differs by hazard (events, event-days, or days with a lightning strike per year). For earthquake, wildfire, coastal flooding and tsunami the value is the chance (or number of events) at a location in the county, not across the county, so no "1 in N years" is given and the descriptor comes from Storm Events where it has a record (none for earthquake). The Methods page gives each hazard's method, from FEMA's National Risk Index Technical Documentation v1.20.

Where NRI gives event-days, the descriptor comes from the share of years with a Storm Events record; NRI's source records more events, so the two differ.

Descriptor scale used in this packet (defined per unit)

Sources: 5, 6

UnitDescriptorDefinition
events per yearHighly likely1 or more per year
events per yearLikelyabout once in 1 to 10 years
events per yearPossibleabout once in 10 to 100 years
events per yearUnlikelyless than once in 100 years
annual probabilityLikely10% to under 100% chance in a given year
annual probabilityPossible1% to under 10% chance in a given year
annual probabilityUnlikelyunder 1% chance in a given year
event-days (share of years)Highly likelyevent-days recorded in 90% or more of years
event-days (share of years)Likelyevent-days recorded in 10% to under 90% of years
event-days (share of years)Possibleevent-days recorded in some years but under 10% of years
lightning strike-daysHighly likelycloud-to-ground strikes on 1 or more days per year

Intensity bands: historical frequency (Storm Events)

Source: 6

HazardBandYearsEventscounty-coded recordsYears in periodEvents per yearevents / years
Hail1.00-1.99 in1996 to 202579302.63
Hail2.00 in+1996 to 20259300.3
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 202554301.8
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)65 kt+1996 to 202526300.867
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)unmeasured or below 50 kt1996 to 202515300.5
TornadoEF0-11996 to 20258300.267
TornadoEF2-31996 to 20256300.2
TornadoEF4-51996 to 20251300.0333
Tornadounrated (EFU)1996 to 20250300

The bands show how often events of each severity were recorded in this county, to profile how severe events have been (FEMA's probability item asks for the range of intensities).

Hail smaller than 1 inch is not counted: on 2010-01-05 the National Weather Service raised its severe-hail threshold from 3/4 inch to 1 inch, so smaller reports became less common after 2009 (NWS Service Change Notice 09-52). NRI hail frequency uses a 0.75 inch threshold.

Optional: future conditions. Not a required item in the 2025 FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide; some states ask for it. The federal Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) site gives county exposure to future climate conditions (https://resilience.climate.gov/).

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-f: hazards that vary across jurisdictions

Range of census tract risk within the county

Source: 5

HazardTractsrated of allNRI risk score, 0 to 100Tracts by rating
MinMedianMax
Cold Wave3 of 379.687.688.1Relatively High 3
Drought3 of 390.994.997.2Relatively Moderate 2, Relatively Low 1
Earthquake3 of 35.89.011.2Very Low 3
Hail3 of 372.073.083.2Relatively Moderate 3
Heat Wave3 of 318.629.830.6Relatively Low 3
Hurricane0 of 3Not Applicable 3
Ice Storm3 of 32.84.15.0Very Low 3
Inland Flooding3 of 374.776.488.4Relatively High 1, Relatively Moderate 2
Landslide3 of 364.186.987.3Relatively Low 2, Very Low 1
Lightning3 of 377.189.790.0Relatively High 2, Relatively Moderate 1
Strong Wind3 of 390.195.195.5Relatively High 3
Tornado3 of 363.774.179.0Relatively High 1, Relatively Moderate 2
Wildfire3 of 386.092.493.2Relatively Moderate 2, Relatively Low 1
Winter Weather3 of 394.997.597.9Very High 2, Relatively High 1

Drought: Agriculture is all of NRI's expected annual loss for this hazard in the county, so the tract range mostly reflects where crop and livestock value is.

Hail: Agriculture is 62% of NRI's expected annual loss for this hazard in the county, so the tract range mostly reflects where crop and livestock value is.

Rated tracts only: No Rating (score 0.0), Not Applicable and Insufficient Data tracts are counted but not used for the minimum, median and maximum.

The score ranks a tract against all U.S. tracts (100 = highest). The rating is FEMA's category for the tract's risk value, computed differently, so the two can disagree.

Frequency data for cold wave, drought, hail, heat wave, ice storm, lightning, strong wind and winter weather are county-wide or coarse (49 km grid or NWS zone), the same for every jurisdiction; the tract range mostly reflects where buildings and people are (crop and livestock value where a line above names agriculture).

This county has 3 census tracts; the minimum, median and maximum come from those 3.

Each jurisdiction (starting figures from federal data)

Sources: 1, 3, 4, 6

JurisdictionTypePlan statusRepetitive lossFMA RL and SRL (44 CFR 77.2); repeat-flood, any definitionPublic Assistance to this jurisdictionFEMA records matched by applicant name; federal share obligated, nominal dollarsEvent records naming this placeall years; since its planNotes
Wadena CountyCountyApproved, expires 2028-05-03FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$505,628.160 total; 0 since its plan
Aldrich cityCityApproved, expires 2028-05-03FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded19 total; 0 since its plan
Menahga cityCityApproved, expires 2028-05-03FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded32 total; 0 since its plan
Nimrod cityCityPlan 108908 approved 2023-05-04, pending adoption here; not yet eligibleFMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded22 total; no approved plan
Sebeka cityCityApproved, expires 2028-05-03FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$3,138.7541 total; 1 since its plan
Staples cityCityApproved, expires 2031-05-03FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded8 total; 0 since its planAlso approved under plan 108908 (Wadena County, expires 2028-05-03). FEMA's plan status map shows one plan per jurisdiction and may show one of these; this packet uses the approved plan that expires last.
Verndale cityCityApproved, expires 2028-05-03FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded33 total; 2 since its plan
Wadena cityCityApproved, expires 2028-05-03FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded66 total; 13 since its planAlso approved under plan 108247 (Otter Tail County Hazard Mitigation Plan, expires 2027-12-18). FEMA's plan status map shows one plan per jurisdiction and may show one of these; this packet uses the approved plan that expires last.

Repetitive-loss counts are for whole NFIP communities, which can extend beyond this county (see the note in B2-c).

County Public Assistance in B1-d also includes applicants filed under the county that are not jurisdictions in this plan (for example state agencies, special districts and nonprofits), so the jurisdiction rows add up to less.

Supports FEMA checklist items B2-a and B2-b: vulnerability and potential impacts

Local data needed

The table below gives county-level starting figures; the plan describes impacts for each jurisdiction and its own assets.

  • Critical facilities and lifelines per hazard
  • A problem statement per jurisdiction per hazard
  • Changes in development in hazard-prone areas since the last approval, or a statement of none (E1-a)
  • Future assets

County-level starter: exposure, expected annual loss and damage since the plan

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7

HazardBuilding exposuremodeled dollarsAgriculture exposuremodeled dollarsPopulation exposedpeopleEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL as % of exposurebuildings; agriculture where notedStorm Events damage since 2023-05-04county-coded records, property plus crops, nominal dollarsZone-level damage since planproperty plus crops, reported for the zonePublic Assistance since plannominal dollars; see noteNote
Cold Wave$3,869,720,878$68,035,06314,054$1,314$127$607,040under 0.0001%$0
Droughtn/a$28,711,826n/an/a$254,080n/a0.885% (agriculture)$0NRI has no building exposure for this hazard; agriculture shown
Earthquake$7,032,931,681n/a14,065$3,558n/a$871under 0.0001%
Hail$3,869,720,878$68,035,06314,054$15,101$53,868$18,5840.00039%
Heat Wave$3,869,720,878$68,035,06314,054$350under $1$47,544under 0.0001%
HurricaneNot Applicable in NRI for this county
Ice Storm$3,869,720,878n/a14,054$650n/a$288under 0.0001%
Inland Flooding$3,866,743,897$634,147278$2,983,417$4,463$15n/a (see note)NRI counts the full building value of any census block with some flood loss; this is not the value of buildings in the floodplain. Use local FIRM overlays for B2-a/B2-b.
Landslide$13,989,819n/a48$14n/a$5070.0001%
Lightning$3,869,720,878n/a14,054$8,313n/a$92,7180.000215%
Strong Wind$3,869,720,878$68,035,06314,054$76,179$19,627$249,5450.00197%
Tornado$3,869,720,878$68,035,06314,054$408,900$1,895$75,7300.0106%
Wildfire$1,058,814,902$31,819,1245,901$103,751$237$11,1770.0098%
Winter Weather$3,869,720,878$68,035,06314,054$48,188$364$47,3810.00125%$0

Totals since 2023-05-04 (Storm Events through 2026-06-30): 22 county-coded records, 0 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $0; 28 zone-level records, 7 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $0 reported for the zone; Public Assistance: no counted declaration since the plan.

FEMA does not split Public Assistance by hazard. A declaration mapped to several hazards is listed under each of them with its full amount, so the per-hazard column does not add up to the total; the unit total counts each declaration once.

NRI computes earthquake exposure on its own basis, so it exceeds the county building value in B2-a.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-a: vulnerability (county context)

County context

Source: 5

MeasureValue
Population14,054
Building value (total, not at risk)$3,869,720,878
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$68,035,063
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Very Low
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$3,984,398
Expected annual loss, population equivalence, all hazards (NRI values each statistical life at $13.7M; a modeled value of expected deaths and injuries, not property damage)$1,151,401
Social vulnerability ratingRelatively Moderate
Community resilience ratingVery High
NRI versionDecember 2025

FEMA's all-hazard expected annual loss adds buildings, agriculture and population equivalence; this table gives the property part and the population-equivalence part as separate rows.

Social vulnerability: higher means people are more likely to be harmed and slower to recover. Community resilience: lower means the community is less able to recover. High social vulnerability and low resilience both raise the NRI risk rating.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-c: repetitive loss properties

Repetitive loss in this county, both definitions

Sources: 1, 4

DefinitionPropertiesSevere repetitive lossProperties
Repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)0Severe repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)0
Repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition0Severe repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition0

The state NFIP coordinator's list, the source FEMA's Handbook names, often uses the NFIP insurance definition (second row).

Repeat-flood properties: county total and NFIP communities

Sources: 1, 4

ScopeRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
County total0000000

Repeat-flood properties by jurisdiction in the plan (NFIP community)

Sources: 1, 4

JurisdictionNFIP community IDRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
Wadena County2706370000000
Aldrich city2704920000000
Menahga city2704930000000
Nimrod city2705910000000
Sebeka city2704940000000
Staples city2707170000000
Verndale city2706070000000
Wadena city2704950000000

Counts by occupancy group for each jurisdiction are in the Excel file, sheet "B2-c Jurisdictions".

Jurisdiction rows are whole NFIP communities and need not add up to the county total: a community that extends into another county is counted in full on each jurisdiction row, while the county table counts only its part in this county.

County repeat-flood properties by occupancy group: 0 in every occupancy group.

Sources: 1, 4

FMA RL and FMA SRL are the Flood Mitigation Assistance definitions (44 CFR 77.2), the ones the FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide cites. NFIP repetitive loss (the FEMA insurance definition) is 2 or more claims over $1,000 in 10 years, and a property can leave that group once it is mitigated. Also shown: NFIP severe repetitive loss, any category, mitigated and currently insured. The Methods page gives the OpenFEMA field details.

Counts are aggregates of FEMA's public NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (FEMA's data date 2026-08-02; file version 2026-08-04). No property is identified. County assignment is FEMA's geocode.

In this county 0 properties are FMA repetitive loss but not NFIP repetitive loss, and 0 properties are NFIP repetitive loss but not FMA repetitive loss.

Exact counts; no count suppression.

Sources

Tables cite these sources by number. The full list, for the plan's bibliography (FEMA review item A4-a):

  1. FEMA, OpenFEMA HazardMitigationPlanStatuses v1, version 2026-09-29T134039Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/HazardMitigationPlanStatuses (API)
  2. FEMA, OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, version 2026-09-29T162832Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries (API)
  3. FEMA, OpenFEMA PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries v1, version 2026-09-29T150754Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries (API)
  4. FEMA, OpenFEMA NfipMultipleLossProperties v1, version 2026-08-04T164045Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/NfipMultipleLossProperties (API)
  5. FEMA, FEMA National Risk Index 1.20.0 (December 2025), county and census tract tables, version 1.20.0, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_Counties.zip (download, 25 MB), https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_CensusTracts.zip (download, 635 MB)
  6. NOAA NCEI, NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, details files (csvfiles v1.0), version c20260918, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/csvfiles/
  7. NOAA National Weather Service, NWS county-public forecast zones correlation file, version bp03mr20 to bp16ap26 (11 files; newest bp16ap26), pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.weather.gov/gis/ZoneCounty
  8. U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2024 Gazetteer, 2020 place by county, CT county-to-cousub crosswalk, version 2024-gazetteer, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_counties_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_cousubs_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_place_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_unsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_elsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_scsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/codes2020/national_place_by_county2020.txt, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ct_change/ct_cou_to_cousub_crosswalk.xlsx (used to match place names and codes; no table prints its values)

What this packet is and what the plan adds

This packet is the federal data for the plan's risk assessment (the summary on page 1 says how it is organized); the plan and FEMA's review decide whether each item is met.

The plan adds what only the community has: local data on assets, critical facilities, development and each jurisdiction's impacts; local hazard history, including state-declared emergencies; the mitigation strategy; and adoption.

How the federal data are built: National Risk Index values are FEMA's model, not counts of events. Storm Events is more complete from 1996; zone-level records are placed by forecast zone, not by location in the county. Public Assistance for a jurisdiction is matched by applicant name. The Methods page gives every rule and the known edge cases.

OpenFEMA disclaimer

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

Reuse, citation and corrections

Reuse and citation: Hazard Plain text and tables are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); credit Hazard Plain and the release. The underlying federal data are public domain; OpenFEMA data are also subject to the OpenFEMA terms and conditions.

Cite this: Hazard Plain (2026). Wadena County, MN: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 27159). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/mn/27159/ Built from FEMA OpenFEMA, the FEMA National Risk Index and NOAA NCEI Storm Events; source versions in the packet's Sources list.

Corrections: to report an error, name the packet, the table and what your records show. Contact: contact@hazardplain.org