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Horicon Wisconsin Downtown Looking West WIS28Photo: I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license: · CC BY-SA 3.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Horicon · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Horicon than in 75% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Horicon gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, #202 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then tornadoes (13%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 74%Tornadoes 13%Hail 10%

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 75%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#202 of 362 in Wisconsin
Hazard risk
A−#202 of 362
in Wisconsin · lower than 75% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
74% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 10 declared for Dodge County
By hazard

What Horicon 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

74%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

13%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Lightning Wildfire Hurricanes Winter storms Ice 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 21% of Horicon’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 Horicon’s grade

River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Horicon, and Horicon’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 13% (higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Horicon sits
Horicon
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #202 of 362 in Wisconsin; lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Horicon’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding74%Tornadoes13%Hail10%Everything else3%

The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Horicon has more expected damage per building than 56% of Wisconsin towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Horicon: $801K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Horicon covers 4 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 Horicon flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

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

Insurance rates: Dodge County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Horicon

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

  1. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$9K to the City of Horicon for repairs
  2. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding14 households applied for aid$10K aid approved$35K to the City of Horicon for repairs
  3. 2008Record Snow and Near Record Snow$11K to the City of Horicon for repairs
  4. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding8 households applied for aid$10K aid approved$6K to the City of Horicon for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HoriconDodge County only

Dodge County has had 10 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Horicon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Horicon archive →
Next door

Horicon and its neighbors

Horicon is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Hubbard: hazard risk A−Kekoskee: not gradedOak Grove: hazard risk ABurnett: not gradedHubbardKekoskeeOak GroveBurnettHoricon
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Oak GroveAless damage than 93%river and rain flooding—
HubbardA−less damage than 76%river and rain flooding—
HoriconA−less damage than 75%river and rain flooding0
Kekoskee—not graded yet
Burnett—799 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 Horicon 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 Horicon

Is Horicon at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Horicon has lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #202 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and tornadoes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Horicon 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 Dodge County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Horicon?

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

By FEMA money that reached Horicon, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 14 households applied for aid, $10K approved, and $35K to the City of Horicon for repairs.

Is Horicon at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Horicon’s rate for it is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Horicon.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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