Photo: Jon Platek · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Glencoe as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Glencoe gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns, #188 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then tornadoes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1991.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Glencoe 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
Tornadoes
Hail
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.
What’s behind Glencoe’s grade
River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Glencoe, and Glencoe’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 4%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #188 of 274 in Minnesota; higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Glencoe’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Minnesota town has lower expected damage than 57% of U.S. towns; within the state, Glencoe has more expected damage per building than 68% of Minnesota towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.8M a year in losses across Glencoe: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Glencoe flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1991
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Glencoe, from FEMA’s records: 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Glencoe isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: McLeod County.The storms Glencoe remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for McLeod County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Glencoe itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20142 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared for McLeod County
- 19911 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20101 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding, declared for McLeod County
McLeod County has had 15 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.
Old photos of Glencoe after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Glencoe archive →Glencoe and its neighbors
Glencoe has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glencoe | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Glencoe Township | — | 496 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Helen Township | — | 950 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 Glencoe 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 Glencoe
Is Glencoe at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Glencoe has higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #188 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and tornadoes (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Glencoe flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Glencoe since 1991, $35K in all, or 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Glencoe 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 McLeod County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Glencoe?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Glencoe’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Glencoe at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Glencoe’s rate for it is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Glencoe.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Glencoe’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.