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Rubicon (1)Photo: Awkwafaba · CC BY-SA 3.0
AHazard risk
Natural hazards in Rubicon · FEMA

FEMA puts Rubicon’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rubicon gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then tornadoes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1996.

River and rain flooding 70%Tornadoes 15%Hail 11%

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 88%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A
in Wisconsin · lower than 88% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
70% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 1996 · $10K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 10 declared for Dodge County
By hazard

What Rubicon 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

70%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

15%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

11%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 Wildfire Lightning 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 Rubicon’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 Rubicon’s grade

River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rubicon, and Rubicon’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 77% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 15% (higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Rubicon sits
Rubicon
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding70%Tornadoes15%Hail11%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $900K a year in losses across Rubicon: $568K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Rubicon 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 Rubicon flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rubicon, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 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: 0 claims1996
19962026
1
paid claims since 1996
$10K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$10K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Rubicon 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 Rubicon

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

  1. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$9K to the Town of Rubicon for repairs
  2. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding11 households applied for aid$19K aid approved$21K to the Town of Rubicon for repairs
  3. 2008Record Snow and Near Record Snow$6K to the Town of Rubicon for repairs
  4. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$813 aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RubiconDodge 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 Rubicon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Rubicon archive →
Next door

Rubicon and its neighbors

Rubicon is 3rd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Hartford: hazard risk A+Ashippun: hazard risk AHustisford: hazard risk B+Hartford: hazard risk A+HartfordAshippunHustisfordHartfordRubicon
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
HartfordA+less damage than 96%river and rain flooding2
HartfordA+less damage than 96%river and rain flooding2
RubiconAless damage than 88%river and rain flooding1
AshippunAless damage than 86%river and rain flooding—
HustisfordB+less damage than 71%river and rain flooding—

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 Rubicon 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 Rubicon

Is Rubicon at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rubicon has lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and tornadoes (15%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Rubicon flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Rubicon since 1996, $10K in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Rubicon 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 Rubicon?

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

By FEMA money that reached Rubicon, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 11 households applied for aid, $19K approved, and $21K to the Town of Rubicon for repairs.

Is Rubicon at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Rubicon’s rate for it is lower than 77% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rubicon.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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