Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 4.0Powassan faces few natural hazards: little fire nearby, low seismic risk, radon over the guideline in 1.9% of tested homes
For Powassan, wildfire history is close to nil: 0% of nearby land since 1986, 0.000% a year. For earthquakes Powassan is middling, $0.035 a year per $1,000 against $0.030 for the typical town. Hazard risk gives Powassan a grade of A−, from earthquakes and radon alone.
What stands out about Powassan’s hazards
For Powassan, from NRCan’s seismic model, Health Canada’s radon survey, the national burned-area record and the flood map inventory.
What Powassan faces
Each hazard against its own yardstick; meters run from low to high on that yardstick.
Wildfire
Earthquakes
Radon
Flood study
Powassan grades A− for hazard risk
Two inputs always count for Powassan, earthquakes and radon; the third, wildfire, counts only against a town.
Its place: #236 of 866 in Ontario and #591 of 2,589 Canadian towns.
How sure: The seismic figure is a long-run average from NRCan’s model, not a prediction. The burned-area record misses fires under about 10 ha and most grass and farm fires.
Little of the land around Powassan has burned: 0% within 5 km, 0% within 25 km since 1986
Fires mapped since 1986 around where Powassan’s residents live, and the fuel next to their homes.
In a typical year 0.000% of the land near Powassan burns; the typical Canadian town sees 0.000%, and both are low.
Since 1986 the nearest fire to Powassan’s homes came within 5.1 km, never inside 5 km.
Near or far, forest fuel covers a similar share around Powassan: 16% within 5 km and 21% within 25 km.
Shares of land within 5 and 25 km of populated blocks: burned at least once in 1986–2025 (CWFIS burned-area composite), forest fuel and grass (fire behaviour fuel types, 2026, 250 m grid).
Burn rate a year, towns in Ontario · highest of 871
To three decimals the burn rate around Powassan is zero, as for 638 of the 871 towns in Ontario, while Sioux Lookout reaches 0.16%.
Each bar: the yearly average share of land within 25 km of a town’s homes that burned, 1986–2025 (CWFIS); the seven highest towns of 2,500 people or more.
Like most of Canada’s 2,610 towns (92%), Powassan is in the low band, with a burn rate of zero to three decimals; 7.5% rank higher.
Bands of the yearly burn rate: low under 0.05%, moderate under 0.25%, high under 1%, very high 1% or more; towns of 2,500 people or more.
Fire danger and active fires (CWFIS)
Canadian Wildland Fire Information System: National Burned Area Composite 1986–2025 and fire behaviour fuel types (2026), Natural Resources Canada. Measured within 25 km and 5 km of each populated dissemination area; past fire, not a forecast.
The flood map inventory lists nothing for Powassan
Flood studies whose area touches Powassan, from NRCan’s inventory, each linked to its owner.
There is no study for Powassan on the national flood inventory, which is far from complete.
Towns with a flood study on file
Missing from a well-mapped province: Powassan has no study, where 69% of towns in Ontario have one against 58% nationally.
NRCan Canada Flood Map Inventory: a study footprint touching the town’s boundary; towns of 2,500 people or more.
Nothing here counts toward Risk; the studies are pointers to the maps their owners keep for Powassan.
The inventory’s own caution (NRCan): “The Canada Flood Map (CFM) does not include every flood hazard map in Canada and may be incomplete or contain inaccuracies. It should not be relied upon as the official source of flood mapping information. Furthermore, if a map appears to be missing, this does not necessarily mean that the area has never been mapped. For the official version of a map, updated information, or confirmation of applicable regulations, please contact the local authority responsible for flood mapping.”
Expected shaking damage in Powassan: $0.035 a year per $1,000
NRCan’s seismic risk model: the damage shaking is expected to do to buildings each year, on average over many years.
Earthquake losses in Powassan, $0.035 per $1,000, are in line with the typical $0.030 (1.2 times).
Shaking damage a year per $1,000 of building value
About level with the typical town in Ontario: Powassan’s $0.035 against $0.043; Alexandria reaches $0.21.
NRCan seismic risk model (2022): mean yearly building loss per $1,000 of value; medians of towns of 2,500 people or more.
Around half of Canada’s 2,611 towns expect more shaking damage than Powassan (46%).
Each column: the share of Canada’s towns of 2,500 people or more in that range of yearly loss per $1,000 (NRCan, 2022).
For Powassan the model prices shaking damage to buildings, nothing more.
Natural Resources Canada, Canada’s Seismic Risk Model (2022), by census subdivision (2016 boundaries; a few 2021 subdivisions take their residents’ mean).
Radon runs low around Powassan: 1.9% of tested homes over the guideline
Health Canada’s survey of long-term home tests: the share above the 200 Bq/m³ guideline.
At 1.9% over the guideline, the area around Powassan is under the typical Canadian town’s 6.6%.
Tested homes over 200 Bq/m³
Over 600 Bq/m³
Fewer homes top the guideline around Powassan (1.9%) than in the typical town in Ontario (4%).
Health Canada radon survey (2009–2011), by 2007 health region; medians of towns of 2,500 people or more.
Radon rarely tops the guideline around Powassan, as for 37% of Canada’s 2,611 towns; 63% see more.
Each bar: the share of Canada’s towns of 2,500 people or more whose survey area had that share of tests over 200 Bq/m³.
A low area share in Powassan doesn’t clear a house, nor does a high one condemn it: test.
Health Canada, Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes (2009–2011). · Area behind the radon tests figures: the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit
Where to get warnings in Powassan
Environment and Climate Change Canada issues the weather alerts for Powassan; Alert Ready carries the urgent ones to phones, radio and TV.
| Alert | What it means |
|---|---|
| Warning | Severe weather is happening or about to: act now. |
| Watch | Conditions favour severe weather: be ready. |
| Advisory | Weather that is less severe but could disrupt the day. |
| Special weather statement | Unusual weather worth knowing about. |
| Special air quality statement | Poor air, often wildfire smoke. |
In fire season, check CWFIS for danger and active fires around Powassan, and listen to local authorities for orders.
Weather alerts (ECCC) · Alert Ready · Fire danger and active fires (CWFIS)
How Powassan’s neighbours compare on hazards
The same four hazards for the places next door.
Nipissing (low) has the heaviest fire record of Powassan’s neighbours, and Powassan (low) matches or beats it.
Radon is the survey area’s figure, so neighbours in one area share it.
Get ready for what Powassan faces
What to do about the hazards Powassan faces, and what to ask before you buy.
- Test for three months in winter.
- Over 200 Bq/m³: fix it.
- Kits are cheap; pros test too.
- Never drive through floodwater.
- Move papers and medicines upstairs.
- Ask whether your street is mapped.
- Clear needles and wood nearby.
- Keep a grab-and-go bag ready.
- In smoke, stay in; filter air.
- Has it had a radon test?
- Ask the municipality for flood maps.
- Are flood and wildfire insured?
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Wildfire counts one way. Burned land within 25 km of where people live, averaged over 1986–2025 and checked for fuel near homes, is the measure; it looks back, not ahead, and only ever counts against Powassan.
- Earthquakes are modelled. The earthquake figure is an expected loss, not a forecast, worked out by NRCan for each census subdivision, Powassan’s included.
- Flood studies aren’t flood zones. Flood studies cover areas of every size, which is why the page lists them for Powassan without grading them.
- Radon is a survey. Radon figures pool the survey’s home tests by area: postal areas once their boundaries arrive, the 2007 health region around Powassan until then.
Questions about flooding and hazards in Powassan
How is Powassan’s Hazard risk Grade worked out?
Hazard risk gives Powassan A−, weighing earthquakes and radon and counting wildfire only against it.
Is Powassan at risk of wildfire?
Fire has reached 0% of the land around Powassan since 1986 (last in 2012); at low, it neither helps nor hurts the grade.
How big is the earthquake risk in Powassan?
About $0.035 a year per $1,000 of building value, NRCan’s long-run expectation for Powassan.
Is radon a problem in Powassan?
Around Powassan, 103 survey homes were tested and 1.9% came in over 200 Bq/m³, a guide to the area, not to any one home.
Does Powassan flood?
With 0 studies on the inventory, Powassan’s flood risk is unmapped nationally; check with the municipality before buying.
Seismic risk: Natural Resources Canada. Radon: Health Canada. Wildfire: Canadian Wildland Fire Information System. Flood studies: Natural Resources Canada, Canada Flood Map Inventory. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
Sources: NRCan, Canada’s Seismic Risk Model 2022 · Health Canada, Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes · CWFIS, National Burned Area Composite and FBP fuel types · NRCan, Canada Flood Map Inventory. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).