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Aerial view of Winthrop, Minnesota 2023-06-11Photo: Schwerdf · CC BY 4.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Winthrop · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Winthrop faces less hazard damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Winthrop gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%), then tornadoes (17%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 62%Tornadoes 17%Strong wind 13%

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

less than 67%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Minnesota · lower than 67% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
62% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 17 declared for Sibley County
By hazard

What Winthrop 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

62%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Tornadoes

17%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Strong wind

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hail

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Winter storms Earthquakes Wildfire Heat waves top 2% Lightning Cold waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 13% of Winthrop’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Winthrop’s grade

River and rain flooding is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Winthrop, and Winthrop’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 13%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Winthrop sits
Winthrop
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Winthrop’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding62%Tornadoes17%Strong wind13%Everything else8%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Winthrop: $848K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Winthrop’s 1,332 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Gibbon city (784 residents) and Bismarck township (323 residents) and Moltke township (268 residents) and Cornish township (241 residents) and Severance township (219 residents) and Grafton township (206 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Winthrop flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Winthrop. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of all homes are insured
No community discount

Winthrop isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Sibley County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Winthrop

Disasters that paid out in Winthrop itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Winthrop), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2019Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$44K to the City of Winthrop for repairs
  2. 2014Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$8K to the City of Winthrop for repairs
  3. 2010Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$13K to the City of Winthrop for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WinthropSibley County only

Sibley County has had 17 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Winthrop after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Winthrop archive →
Next door

Winthrop and its neighbors

Winthrop has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Alfsborg Township: not gradedCornish Township: not gradedTransit Township: not gradedAlfsborg TownshipCornish TownshipTransit TownshipWinthrop
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WinthropB+less damage than 67%river and rain flooding0
Alfsborg Township—339 residents; we grade 1,000+
Cornish Township—236 residents; we grade 1,000+
Transit Township—231 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Winthrop faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Winthrop

Is Winthrop at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Winthrop has lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%) and tornadoes (17%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Winthrop 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 Sibley County, 0.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Winthrop?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Winthrop’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 Winthrop?

By FEMA money that reached Winthrop, Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2019): $44K to the City of Winthrop for repairs.

Is Winthrop at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Winthrop’s rate for it is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Winthrop.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Winthrop’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.