Jones, Samuel S., Cobblestone House · Photo: Sa magnuson33 · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Clinton
Clinton isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Clinton yet. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1998.
What Clinton 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.
Does Clinton flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Clinton, from FEMA’s records.
Clinton 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.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Clinton
Disasters that paid out in Clinton itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Clinton), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides$125K to the Town of Clinton for repairs
- 2017Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mud$55K to the Town of Clinton for repairs
- 2016Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$35K to the Town of Clinton for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$44K to the Town of Clinton for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$496K to the Town of Clinton for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$200K to the Town of Clinton for repairs
Show all 8
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$42K to the Town of Clinton for repairs
- 2001Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes$10K to the Town of Clinton for repairs
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.
Old photos of Clinton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Clinton archive →Clinton and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Turtle | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Sharon | — | 942 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Manchester Township | — | 697 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 Clinton 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Clinton
Does Clinton flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Clinton since 1998, $368 in all.
Is Clinton 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 Clinton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Clinton’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 Clinton?
By FEMA money that reached Clinton, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): $496K to the Town of Clinton for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clinton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Clinton’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.