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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Lewiston · FEMA

FEMA puts Lewiston’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from hail

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lewiston gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hail (56%), then river and rain flooding (38%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1998.

Hail 56%River and rain flooding 38%Tornadoes 5%

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 83%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 83% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hail
56% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 1998 · $76K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 8 declared for Columbia County
By hazard

What Lewiston faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hail

56%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

River and rain flooding

38%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Earthquakes Lightning Hurricanes Wildfire 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 10% of Lewiston’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 Lewiston’s grade

Hail is 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lewiston, and Lewiston’s rate of hail damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 38% (lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Lewiston sits
Lewiston
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Lewiston’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hail56%River and rain flooding38%Tornadoes5%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Lewiston: $837K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Lewiston covers 3 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 Lewiston flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1998

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lewiston, from FEMA’s records: 5.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 1 claim199820042010
19982026
Biggest named events
  • The 2026-04-Flooding1 claim · $52K
4
paid claims since 1998
$76K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$19K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Columbia County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lewiston

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

  1. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$20K to the Town of Lewiston for repairs
  2. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$5K to the Town of Lewiston for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2000Snow$2K to the Town of Lewiston for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in LewistonColumbia County only

Columbia County has had 8 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 Lewiston after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Lewiston archive →
Next door

Lewiston and its neighbors

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

Caledonia: hazard risk DFairfield: hazard risk C+Portage: hazard risk DDouglas: not gradedNewport: not gradedNew Haven: not gradedBriggsville: not gradedFort Winnebago: not gradedMoundville: not gradedCaledoniaFairfieldPortageDouglasNewportNew HavenBriggsvilleFort WinnebagoMoundvilleLewiston
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
FairfieldC+more damage than 60%river and rain flooding—
LewistonC−more damage than 83%hail4
PortageDmore damage than 87%hail38
CaledoniaDmore damage than 88%hail26
Douglas—647 residents; we grade 1,000+
Newport—597 residents; we grade 1,000+
New Haven—851 residents; we grade 1,000+
Briggsville—320 residents; we grade 1,000+
Fort Winnebago—798 residents; we grade 1,000+
Moundville—546 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 Lewiston faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Lewiston

Is Lewiston at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lewiston has higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hail (56%) and river and rain flooding (38%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Lewiston flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Lewiston since 1998, $76K in all, or 5.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from 2026-04-Flooding (1).

Is Lewiston 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 Columbia County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Lewiston?

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

By FEMA money that reached Lewiston, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): $20K to the Town of Lewiston for repairs. By flood claims, 2026-04-Flooding: 1 paid, $52K.

Is Lewiston at risk from hail?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Lewiston’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lewiston.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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