Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Winkelman
Winkelman isn’t graded for hazard risk: Winkelman has 191 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 28 claims here since 1983.
What Winkelman faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Wildfire
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
Does Winkelman flood? Sometimes: 28 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Winkelman, from FEMA’s records.
Winkelman isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pinal County.The storms Winkelman remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Pinal County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Winkelman itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199321 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding, declared for Pinal County
- 19837 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Pinal County
Pinal County has had 10 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 10 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Pinal County, 2002–2025.
Old photos of Winkelman after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Winkelman archive →Winkelman and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hayden | — | 331 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Winkelman faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Winkelman
Does Winkelman flood?
Flood insurance has paid 28 claims in Winkelman since 1983, $850K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Winkelman in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Pinal County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Winkelman?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Winkelman’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Winkelman.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Winkelman’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.