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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Mauston · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Mauston than in 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mauston gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, #335 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2018.

River and rain flooding 82%Hail 9%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 64%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#335 of 362 in Wisconsin
Hazard risk
C+#335 of 362
in Wisconsin · higher than 64% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
82% of expected building damage
Flood claims
5
paid since 2018 · $62K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 13 declared for Juneau County
By hazard

What Mauston 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 76% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hail

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 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 heat waves at 24% of Mauston’s expected losses. Heat 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 Mauston’s grade

River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mauston, and Mauston’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 9%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Mauston sits
Mauston
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #335 of 362 in Wisconsin; higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Mauston’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding82%Hail9%Tornadoes8%Everything else2%

The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Mauston has more expected damage per building than 93% of Wisconsin towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.5M a year in losses across Mauston: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Mauston covers 2 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 Mauston flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 2018

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mauston, from FEMA’s records: 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2018: 5 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2018
20182026
5
paid claims since 2018
$62K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$12K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Juneau County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mauston

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

  1. 2026Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$18K aid approved
  2. 2018Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides167 households applied for aid$330K aid approved$41K to the City of Mauston for repairs5 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding127 households applied for aid$209K aid approved
  4. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding15 households applied for aid$23K aid approved$6K to the City of Mauston for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MaustonJuneau County only

Juneau County has had 13 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 Mauston after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Mauston archive →
Next door

Mauston and its neighbors

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

Lemonweir: hazard risk B−Lindina: not gradedLemonweirLindinaMauston
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
LemonweirB−more damage than 55%river and rain flooding5
MaustonC+more damage than 64%river and rain flooding5
Lindina—684 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 Mauston 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 Mauston

Is Mauston at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mauston has higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #335 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and hail (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Mauston flood?

Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Mauston since 2018, $62K in all, or 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Mauston 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 Juneau County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Mauston?

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

By FEMA money that reached Mauston, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides (2018): 167 households applied for aid, $330K approved, and $41K to the City of Mauston for repairs.

Is Mauston at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Mauston’s rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mauston.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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