Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Wausau

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
2009-0620-WI017-Wausau-400blockPhoto: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Wausau · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Wausau than in 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wausau gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 84%Tornadoes 8%Hail 5%

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 77%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 77% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
84% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 9 declared for Marathon County
By hazard

What Wausau 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

84%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Lightning top 0% Strong wind Wildfire Winter storms Earthquakes 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 38% of Wausau’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 Wausau’s grade

River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wausau, and Wausau’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Lightning adds 3%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Wausau sits
Wausau
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Wausau’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 flooding84%Tornadoes8%Hail5%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Wausau: $629K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Wausau 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 Wausau flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Wausau. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Marathon County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Wausau

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

  1. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$3K to the Town of Wausau for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WausauMarathon County only

Marathon County has had 9 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 Wausau after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Wausau archive →
Next door

Wausau and its neighbors

Wausau is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Wausau: hazard risk B+Texas: hazard risk AEaston: hazard risk B+Weston: not gradedWausauTexasEastonWestonWausau
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
TexasAless damage than 86%river and rain flooding1
WausauA−less damage than 77%river and rain flooding0
WausauB+less damage than 70%river and rain flooding8
EastonB+less damage than 70%river and rain flooding1
Weston—780 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 Wausau 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 Wausau

Is Wausau at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wausau has lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and tornadoes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Wausau 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 Marathon County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Wausau?

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

By FEMA money that reached Wausau, Severe Storms and Flooding (2010): $3K to the Town of Wausau for repairs.

Is Wausau at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Wausau’s rate for it is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wausau.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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