Photo: August Schwerdfeger · CC BY 4.0FEMA puts Stillwater’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Stillwater gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #226 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%). Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1979.
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 Stillwater 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
Strong wind
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 Stillwater’s grade
River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Stillwater, and Stillwater’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 6%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C #226 of 274 in Minnesota; higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Stillwater’s residents live in 7 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, Stillwater has more expected damage per building than 82% of Minnesota towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $9.5M a year in losses across Stillwater: $7.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Stillwater flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Stillwater, from FEMA’s records: 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Severe flooding2 claims · $72K
Stillwater isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Washington County.The storms Stillwater remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Washington County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Stillwater itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19792 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19812 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19972 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Flooding, High Winds,severe Storms, declared for Washington County
Washington County has had 13 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Washington County, 2000–2000.
Old photos of Stillwater after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Stillwater archive →Stillwater and its neighbors
Stillwater is 6th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Somerset | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Grant | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Oak Park Heights | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | — |
| St. Joseph | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Stillwater Township | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Stillwater | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Houlton | — | 240 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 Stillwater 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Stillwater
Is Stillwater at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Stillwater has higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #226 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and tornadoes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Stillwater flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Stillwater since 1979, $310K in all, or 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Severe flooding (2).
Is Stillwater 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 Washington County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Stillwater?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Stillwater’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Stillwater?
By flood claims, Severe flooding: 2 paid, $72K.
Is Stillwater at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Stillwater’s rate for it is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Stillwater.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Stillwater’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.