Photo: Joekristoff · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, St. Louis Park faces less hazard damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Louis Park gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, #17 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%), then tornadoes (20%). Flood insurance has paid 18 claims here since 1986.
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 stands out about St. Louis Park’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What St. Louis Park 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 St. Louis Park’s grade
River and rain flooding is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in St. Louis Park, and St. Louis Park’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 14%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
A #17 of 274 in Minnesota; lower expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
St. Louis Park’s residents live in 15 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, St. Louis Park has less expected damage per building than 94% of Minnesota towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $16.1M a year in losses across St. Louis Park: $8.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does St. Louis Park flood? Sometimes: 18 flood claims since 1986
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in St. Louis Park, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
St. Louis Park is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Hennepin County.The storms St. Louis Park remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Hennepin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching St. Louis Park itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19978 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, High Winds, Flooding, declared for Hennepin County
- 20145 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared for Hennepin County
- 20032 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Hennepin County has had 14 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 St. Louis Park after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the St. Louis Park archive →St. Louis Park and its neighbors
St. Louis Park has the lowest expected damage per building of the 6 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Park | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Hopkins | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Minnetonka | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Edina | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 67 |
| Minneapolis | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 108 |
| Golden Valley | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 41 |
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 St. Louis Park 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.
- St. Louis Park residents get 10% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in St. Louis Park
Is St. Louis Park at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Louis Park has lower expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #17 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%) and tornadoes (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does St. Louis Park flood?
Flood insurance has paid 18 claims in St. Louis Park since 1986, $142K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is St. Louis Park 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 Hennepin County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in St. Louis Park?
St. Louis Park is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8), which takes 10% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is St. Louis Park at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and St. Louis Park’s rate for it is lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. Louis Park.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where St. Louis Park’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.