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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Clinton · FEMA

FEMA puts Clinton’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clinton gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 83%Tornadoes 8%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 63%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C+
in Wisconsin · higher than 63% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
83% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
8
of 20 declared for Vernon County
By hazard

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

83%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 17 years in the area

Hail

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Lightning Landslides top 3% Earthquakes Winter storms Hurricanes Wildfire Ice storms Cold waves 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 38% of Clinton’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 Clinton’s grade

River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Clinton, and Clinton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 8% (higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Clinton sits
Clinton
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Clinton’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding83%Tornadoes8%Hail7%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Clinton: $465K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Clinton covers 2 census tracts, combined by where 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 Clinton flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Clinton. 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

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: Vernon County.
Disasters

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.

  1. 2018Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides$125K to the Town of Clinton for repairs
  2. 2017Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mud$55K to the Town of Clinton for repairs
  3. 2016Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$35K to the Town of Clinton for repairs
  4. 2013Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$44K to the Town of Clinton for repairs
  5. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$496K to the Town of Clinton for repairs
  6. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$200K to the Town of Clinton for repairs
Show all 8
  1. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$42K to the Town of Clinton for repairs
  2. 2001Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes$10K to the Town of Clinton for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ClintonVernon County only

Vernon County has had 20 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 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 →
Next door

Clinton and its neighbors

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

Whitestown: not gradedChristiana: not gradedJefferson: not gradedWebster: not gradedWhitestownChristianaJeffersonWebsterClinton
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ClintonC+more damage than 63%river and rain flooding0
Whitestown—711 residents; we grade 1,000+
Christiana—not graded yet
Jefferson—790 residents; we grade 1,000+
Webster—893 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 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.

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 Clinton

Is Clinton at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clinton has higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and tornadoes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

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 Vernon County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% 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.

Is Clinton at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Clinton’s rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clinton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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.