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Hartford Wisconsin Downtown looking north WIS83Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 4.0
A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Hartford · FEMA

FEMA puts Hartford’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hartford gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #36 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then tornadoes (20%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2010.

River and rain flooding 66%Tornadoes 20%Hail 9%

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 96%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#36 of 362 in Wisconsin
Hazard risk
A+#36 of 362
in Wisconsin · lower than 96% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
66% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2010 · $272K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 11 declared for Washington County
By hazard

What Hartford 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

66%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 90% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

20%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Lightning top 2% Earthquakes Wildfire Ice storms Hurricanes 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 32% of Hartford’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 Hartford’s grade

River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hartford, and Hartford’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 90% of U.S. census tracts. Lightning adds 1%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Hartford sits
Hartford
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ #36 of 362 in Wisconsin; lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Hartford’s residents live in 6 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding66%Tornadoes20%Hail9%Everything else4%

The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Hartford has less expected damage per building than 90% of Wisconsin towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.7M a year in losses across Hartford: $2.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Hartford covers 6 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 Hartford flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2010

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hartford, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 1 claim2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20102013
20102026
2
paid claims since 2010
$272K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$136K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Washington County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hartford

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

  1. 2026Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding10 households applied for aid$29K aid approved
  2. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Mudslides15 households applied for aid$75K aid approved
  3. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$26K to the City of Hartford for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding88 households applied for aid$247K aid approved$30K to the City of Hartford for repairs
  5. 2008Record Snow and Near Record Snow$30K to the City of Hartford for repairs
  6. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HartfordWashington County only

Washington County has had 11 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 Hartford after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Hartford archive →
Next door

Hartford and its neighbors

Hartford has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Hartford: hazard risk A+Rubicon: hazard risk ASlinger: hazard risk AHartfordRubiconSlingerHartford
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
HartfordA+less damage than 96%river and rain flooding2
HartfordA+less damage than 96%river and rain flooding2
SlingerAless damage than 95%river and rain flooding—
RubiconAless damage than 88%river and rain flooding1

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 Hartford 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 Hartford

Is Hartford at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hartford has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #36 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and tornadoes (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Hartford flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Hartford since 2010, $272K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Hartford 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 Washington County, 37% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Hartford?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hartford, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 88 households applied for aid, $247K approved, and $30K to the City of Hartford for repairs.

Is Hartford at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Hartford’s rate for it is lower than 90% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hartford.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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