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RRGBDSC05940 - Downtown Tomah east side of SuperiorPhoto: RRGreenough · CC BY-SA 4.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Tomah · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Tomah faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tomah gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #301 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%). Flood insurance has paid 19 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 80%Hail 9%Tornadoes 9%

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 51%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#301 of 362 in Wisconsin
Hazard risk
B−#301 of 362
in Wisconsin · lower than 51% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
80% of expected building damage
Flood claims
19
paid since 1978 · $68K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
3
of 12 declared for Monroe County
By hazard

What Tomah 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 65% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Hail

9%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

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Lightning Earthquakes Winter storms Hurricanes Wildfire 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 38% of Tomah’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 Tomah’s grade

River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tomah, and Tomah’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 9%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Tomah sits
Tomah
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #301 of 362 in Wisconsin; lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Tomah’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding80%Hail9%Tornadoes9%Everything else3%

The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Tomah has more expected damage per building than 83% of Wisconsin towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.4M a year in losses across Tomah: $2.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Tomah covers 4 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 Tomah flood? Sometimes: 19 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tomah, from FEMA’s records: 3.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 2 claims1979: 0 claims1980: 1 claim1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 12 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 1 claim2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197819801990
19782026
19
paid claims since 1978
$68K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Tomah 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 Tomah

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

  1. 2018Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides17 households applied for aid$21K aid approved
  2. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding28 households applied for aid$37K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding28 households applied for aid$37K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in TomahMonroe 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 Tomah after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Tomah archive →
Next door

Tomah and its neighbors

Tomah is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Tomah: hazard risk CLa Grange: hazard risk B−TomahLa GrangeTomah
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
La GrangeB−less damage than 52%river and rain flooding—
TomahB−less damage than 51%river and rain flooding19
TomahCmore 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 Tomah 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 Tomah

Is Tomah at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tomah has lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #301 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and hail (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Tomah flood?

Flood insurance has paid 19 claims in Tomah since 1978, $68K in all, or 3.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Tomah 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 Tomah?

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

By FEMA money that reached Tomah, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 28 households applied for aid, $37K approved.

Is Tomah at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Tomah’s rate for it is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tomah.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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