Blue Earth County, Minnesota: hazard risk
FEMA rates Blue Earth County's overall risk Relatively Low (score 72.2 of 100, higher than 72% of rated U.S. counties); 3 of its 13 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by strong wind, winter weather, cold wave. Its storm record holds 661 events since 1950.
FEMA's rating for each hazard
These are FEMA's county-wide model ratings and this county's storm record. They are not an assessment of any property, address or building, and not insurance advice: a property's risk depends on its own elevation, construction and location.
FEMA gives each hazard its own rating, and a rating does not follow the score from one hazard to the next: a hazard with a higher score can carry a lower rating than another. The table sorts by FEMA's rating, then by score (0 to 100, the county against every other county for that hazard).
| Hazard | Risk rating | Score | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | 95.2 | $3.4M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 93.5 | $610K |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | 93.3 | $10M |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 85.3 | $1.3M |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | 78.8 | $930K |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 77.1 | $3.7M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 69.3 | $948K |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 67.8 | $5K |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | 65.9 | $12M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | 50.4 | $94K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 31.8 | $17K |
| Lightning | Very Low | 22.3 | $82K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 15.8 | $20K |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. A model of future loss, not a count of past events. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
What the record holds
| Hazard | Records | Deaths | Damage | Rank in state | Rank in U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 182 | 0 | $396K | 44th of 87 | 1269th of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 170 | 1 | $37M | 25th of 87 | 1828th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 126 | 0 | – | 54th of 87 | 871st of 3,077 |
| Tornadoes | 43 | 1 | $40M | 19th of 87 | 1022nd of 3,080 |
| Floods | 41 | 0 | $7.1M | 24th of 87 | 1617th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 31 | 2 | $26K | 62nd of 87 | 622nd of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 19 | 0 | – | 22nd of 87 | 690th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 17 | 0 | – | 42nd of 87 | 1675th of 3,080 |
| Heat | 12 | 0 | – | 39th of 87 | 1121st of 3,076 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 1 | 0 | – | 1st of 87 | 310th of 2,278 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $188K | 59th of 87 | 2127th of 3,080 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Blue Earth County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.