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ReedsburgWisconsinDowntownPhoto: User Royalbroil on en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 2.5
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Reedsburg · FEMA

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

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Reedsburg gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%), then hail (10%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 2008.

River and rain flooding 80%Hail 10%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 51%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B−
in Wisconsin · higher than 51% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
80% of expected building damage
Flood claims
11
paid since 2008 · $213K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 12 declared for Sauk County
By hazard

What Reedsburg 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

80%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hail

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Lightning top 2% Earthquakes 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 18% of Reedsburg’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 Reedsburg’s grade

River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Reedsburg, and Reedsburg’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 10%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Reedsburg sits
Reedsburg
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Reedsburg’s residents live in 8 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding80%Hail10%Tornadoes8%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $616K a year in losses across Reedsburg: $418K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 8 census tracts by where Reedsburg’s 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 Reedsburg flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 2008

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Reedsburg, from FEMA’s records: 21.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2008: 2 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 9 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20082018
20082026
Biggest named events
  • The Storm2 claims · $20K
11
paid claims since 2008
$213K
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

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

Insurance rates: Sauk County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Reedsburg

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

  1. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$18K to the Town of Reedsburg for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$23K to the Town of Reedsburg for repairs
  3. 2000Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$5K to the Town of Reedsburg for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ReedsburgSauk County only

Sauk 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 Reedsburg after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Reedsburg archive →
Next door

Reedsburg and its neighbors

Reedsburg has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Reedsburg: hazard risk C+Ironton: not gradedWestfield: not gradedWinfield: not gradedExcelsior: hazard risk CReedsburgIrontonWestfieldWinfieldExcelsiorReedsburg
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ReedsburgB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding11
ReedsburgC+more damage than 58%river and rain flooding70
ExcelsiorCmore damage than 74%river and rain flooding—
Ironton—623 residents; we grade 1,000+
Westfield—601 residents; we grade 1,000+
Winfield—893 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 Reedsburg 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 Reedsburg

Is Reedsburg at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Reedsburg has higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and hail (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Reedsburg flood?

Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Reedsburg since 2008, $213K in all, or 21.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Storm (2).

Is Reedsburg 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 Sauk County, 39% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Reedsburg?

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

By FEMA money that reached Reedsburg, Severe Storms and Flooding (2007): $23K to the Town of Reedsburg for repairs. By flood claims, Storm: 2 paid, $20K.

Is Reedsburg at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Reedsburg’s rate for it is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Reedsburg.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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