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HillsboroWisconsinDowntownPhoto: User:Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 2.5
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Hillsboro · FEMA

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

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hillsboro gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1990.

River and rain flooding 82%Tornadoes 9%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 56%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 56% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
82% of expected building damage
Flood claims
16
paid since 1990 · $338K
Flooded more than once
3
properties
Disasters paid out here
6
of 20 declared for Vernon County
By hazard

What Hillsboro 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

82%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 14 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 Earthquakes Winter storms Landslides top 4% 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 41% of Hillsboro’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 Hillsboro’s grade

River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hillsboro, and Hillsboro’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 9% (higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Hillsboro sits
Hillsboro
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Hillsboro’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding82%Tornadoes9%Hail7%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Hillsboro: $420K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Hillsboro’s 1,397 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Greenwood town (923 residents) and Hillsboro town (787 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Hillsboro flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1990

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hillsboro, from FEMA’s records: 22.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1990: 3 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 2 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: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 2 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 2 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 2 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 5 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199019922018
19902026
Biggest named events
  • The Storm2 claims · $127K
16
paid claims since 1990
$338K
paid to owners
3
homes flooded more than once
$21K
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

Hillsboro 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

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hillsboro

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

  1. 2018Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides31 households applied for aid$48K aid approved$49K to the City of Hillsboro for repairs5 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2016Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$7K to the City of Hillsboro for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding68 households applied for aid$159K aid approved$36K to the City of Hillsboro for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding48 households applied for aid$108K aid approved$3K to the City of Hillsboro for repairs
  5. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding23 households applied for aid$36K aid approved$7K to the City of Hillsboro for repairs
  6. 2001Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes$5K to the City of Hillsboro for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HillsboroVernon 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 Hillsboro after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Hillsboro archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Hillsboro 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 Hillsboro

Is Hillsboro at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hillsboro has higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and tornadoes (9%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Hillsboro flood?

Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Hillsboro since 1990, $338K in all, or 22.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Storm (2).

Is Hillsboro 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 Hillsboro?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hillsboro, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 68 households applied for aid, $159K approved, and $36K to the City of Hillsboro for repairs. By flood claims, Storm: 2 paid, $127K.

Is Hillsboro at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Hillsboro’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hillsboro.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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