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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Little Falls · FEMA

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

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Little Falls gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 82%Hail 8%Tornadoes 8%

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 58%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 58% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
82% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 12 declared for Monroe County
By hazard

What Little Falls 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 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Hail

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 10 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Lightning Wildfire Winter storms Landslides Hurricanes Earthquakes 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 31% of Little Falls’ 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 Little Falls’ grade

River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Little Falls, and Little Falls’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 8%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Little Falls sits
Little Falls
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding82%Hail8%Tornadoes8%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Little Falls: $572K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Little Falls’ 1,509 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Lafayette town (447 residents) and Cataract CDP (220 residents) and New Lyme town (193 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 Little Falls flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

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

Insurance rates: Monroe County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Little Falls

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

  1. 2017Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mud$4K to the Town of Little Falls for repairs
  2. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$5K to the Town of Little Falls for repairs
  3. 2000Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$27K to the Town of Little Falls for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Little FallsMonroe County only

Monroe County has had 12 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 Little Falls after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Little Falls archive →
Next door

Little Falls and its neighbors

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

Melrose: not gradedNew Lyme: not gradedSparta: hazard risk C+Burns: not gradedIrving: not gradedMelroseNew LymeSpartaBurnsIrvingLittle Falls
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
SpartaC+more damage than 56%river and rain flooding—
Little FallsC+more damage than 58%river and rain flooding0
Melrose—552 residents; we grade 1,000+
New Lyme—158 residents; we grade 1,000+
Burns—768 residents; we grade 1,000+
Irving—936 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 Little Falls 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Little Falls

Is Little Falls at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Little Falls has higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and hail (8%). 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.

Is Little Falls 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 Monroe County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Little Falls?

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

By FEMA money that reached Little Falls, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2000): $27K to the Town of Little Falls for repairs.

Is Little Falls at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Little Falls’ rate for it is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Little Falls.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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