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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Winona · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Winona

Winona isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Winona yet.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 25 declared for Smith County
By hazard

What Winona 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

81%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Wildfire

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Ice storms Winter storms Strong wind Cold waves Landslides top 5% Lightning Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 17% of Winona’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.3%), 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Winona flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Smith County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Winona

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding93 households applied for aid$288K aid approved
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storms82 households applied for aid$69K aid approved
  3. 2011Wildfires5 households applied for aid$39K aid approved
  4. 2008Hurricane Ike7 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  5. 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding16 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WinonaSmith County only

Smith County has had 25 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical 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 Smith County, 2000–2000.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Winona archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Winona 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 ↗
Wildfire
  • Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
  • Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
  • Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
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 Winona

Is Winona 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 Smith County, 32% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Winona?

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

By FEMA money that reached Winona, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2024): 93 households applied for aid, $288K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Winona.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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