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TrempealeauWisconsinDowntown2Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Trempealeau · FEMA

FEMA puts Trempealeau’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Trempealeau gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). Flood insurance has paid 23 claims here since 1993.

River and rain flooding 83%Tornadoes 7%Hail 6%

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 61%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 61% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
83% of expected building damage
Flood claims
23
paid since 1993 · $448K
Flooded more than once
5
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
1
of 12 declared for Trempealeau County

What stands out about Trempealeau’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Moved out of harm’s way15 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 19976 flood claims were paid for 1997 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Trempealeau 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

83%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

7%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Lightning top 1% Winter storms Earthquakes Wildfire Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 18% of Trempealeau’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 Trempealeau’s grade

River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Trempealeau, and Trempealeau’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 7% (higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Trempealeau sits
Trempealeau
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding83%Tornadoes7%Hail6%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Trempealeau: $664K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Trempealeau’s 1,843 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Caledonia town (928 residents) and Dodge CDP (121 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 Trempealeau flood? Sometimes: 23 flood claims since 1993

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Trempealeau, from FEMA’s records: 25.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1993: 5 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 6 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 4 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 2 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 3 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199319972001
19932026
Biggest named events
  • The Severe flooding4 claims · $73K
  • The March 2019 Midwest Flooding1 claim · $52K
23
paid claims since 1993
$448K
paid to owners
5
homes flooded more than once
$19K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Trempealeau County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
15flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Trempealeau

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

  1. 2001Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes$5K to the Village of Trempealeau for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in TrempealeauTrempealeau County only

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

Add to the Trempealeau archive →
Next door

Trempealeau and its neighbors

Trempealeau has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Trempealeau: not gradedRichmond Township: not gradedCaledonia: not gradedTrempealeauRichmond TownshipCaledoniaTrempealeau
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
TrempealeauC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding23
Trempealeau—not graded yet
Richmond Township—478 residents; we grade 1,000+
Caledonia—912 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 Trempealeau 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 Trempealeau

Is Trempealeau at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Trempealeau has higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and tornadoes (7%). 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.

Does Trempealeau flood?

Flood insurance has paid 23 claims in Trempealeau since 1993, $448K in all, or 25.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Severe flooding (4).

Is Trempealeau 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 Trempealeau County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Trempealeau?

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

By FEMA money that reached Trempealeau, Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes (2001): $5K to the Village of Trempealeau for repairs. By flood claims, Severe flooding: 4 paid, $73K.

Is Trempealeau at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Trempealeau’s rate for it is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Trempealeau.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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