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Downtown Beloit, WisconsinPhoto: Visit Beloit · CC BY-SA 4.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Beloit · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Beloit as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Beloit gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns, #324 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then tornadoes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 21 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 78%Tornadoes 12%Hail 7%

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

more than 57%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#324 of 362 in Wisconsin
Hazard risk
C+#324 of 362
in Wisconsin · higher than 57% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
78% of expected building damage
Flood claims
21
paid since 1979 · $153K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
7
of 13 declared for Rock County
By hazard

What Beloit 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

78%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Lightning top 1% Ice storms Hurricanes Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
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 20% of Beloit’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 Beloit’s grade

River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Beloit, and Beloit’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 12% (higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Beloit sits
Beloit
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #324 of 362 in Wisconsin; higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Beloit’s residents live in 13 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding78%Tornadoes12%Hail7%Everything else4%

The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Beloit has more expected damage per building than 89% of Wisconsin towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $14.5M a year in losses across Beloit: $9.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 13 census tracts by where Beloit’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Beloit flood? Sometimes: 21 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Beloit, 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.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 3 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 9 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 2 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 4 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 1 claim2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197920082018
19792026
Biggest named events
  • The Storm1 claim · $648
21
paid claims since 1979
$153K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$7K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Rock County.
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Beloit

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

  1. 2026Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding140 households applied for aid$225K aid approved$8K to the City of Beloit for repairs
  2. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding218 households applied for aid$269K aid approved$273K to the City of Beloit for repairs
  3. 2008Record Snow and Near Record Snow$87K to the City of Beloit for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Winter Storms$5K to the City of Beloit for repairs
  5. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding35 households applied for aid$49K aid approved
  6. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding4 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
Show all 7
  1. 2000Snow$39K to the City of Beloit for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BeloitRock County only

Rock County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Beloit archive →
Next door

Beloit and its neighbors

Beloit is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Turtle: hazard risk B−Beloit: hazard risk C+TurtleBeloitBeloit
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
TurtleB−more damage than 54%river and rain flooding8
BeloitC+more damage than 55%river and rain flooding28
BeloitC+more damage than 57%river and rain flooding21

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 Beloit 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 ↗
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 Beloit

Is Beloit at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Beloit has higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #324 of 362 in Wisconsin. 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 Beloit flood?

Flood insurance has paid 21 claims in Beloit since 1979, $153K in all, or 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Storm (1).

Is Beloit 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 Rock County, 33% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Beloit?

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

By FEMA money that reached Beloit, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 218 households applied for aid, $269K approved, and $273K to the City of Beloit for repairs. By flood claims, Storm: 1 paid, $648.

Is Beloit at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Beloit’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Beloit.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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