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AHazard risk
Natural hazards in Grafton · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Grafton faces less hazard damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Grafton gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #120 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2019.

River and rain flooding 84%Tornadoes 8%Hail 6%

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 88%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#120 of 362 in Wisconsin
Hazard risk
A#120 of 362
in Wisconsin · lower than 88% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
84% of expected building damage
Flood claims
5
paid since 2019 · $205K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 10 declared for Ozaukee County

What stands out about Grafton’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 88% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Moved out of harm’s way7 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Grafton 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

84%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Lightning top 4% Earthquakes 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 29% of Grafton’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 Grafton’s grade

River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Grafton, and Grafton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 8% (higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Grafton sits
Grafton
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A #120 of 362 in Wisconsin; lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Grafton’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding84%Tornadoes8%Hail6%Everything else2%

The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Grafton has less expected damage per building than 67% of Wisconsin towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.0M a year in losses across Grafton: $2.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Grafton covers 5 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 Grafton flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 2019

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Grafton, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2019: 5 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2019
20192026
Biggest named events
  • The March 2019 Midwest Flooding5 claims · $205K
5
paid claims since 2019
$205K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$41K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Ozaukee County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
7flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Grafton

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

  1. 2018Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides$40K to the Village of Grafton for repairs
  2. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding19 households applied for aid$34K aid approved$6K to the Village of Grafton for repairs
  3. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding13 households applied for aid$21K aid approved$19K to the Village of Grafton for repairs
  4. 2000Snow$15K to the Village of Grafton for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in GraftonOzaukee County only

Ozaukee County has had 10 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 Grafton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Grafton archive →
Next door

Grafton and its neighbors

Grafton is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Grafton: hazard risk ACedarburg: hazard risk A−Cedarburg: hazard risk A−GraftonCedarburgCedarburgGrafton
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
GraftonAless damage than 91%river and rain flooding—
GraftonAless damage than 88%river and rain flooding5
CedarburgA−less damage than 84%river and rain flooding6
CedarburgA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding4

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 Grafton 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 Grafton

Is Grafton at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Grafton has lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #120 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and tornadoes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Grafton flood?

Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Grafton since 2019, $205K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from March 2019 Midwest Flooding (5).

Is Grafton 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 Ozaukee County, 45% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Grafton?

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

By FEMA money that reached Grafton, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides (2018): $40K to the Village of Grafton for repairs. By flood claims, March 2019 Midwest Flooding: 5 paid, $205K.

Is Grafton at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Grafton’s rate for it is lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Grafton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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