Buffalo County, Wisconsin: hazard risk
FEMA rates Buffalo County's overall risk Very Low (score 14.5 of 100, higher than 14% of rated U.S. counties). Its storm record holds 511 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | 91.4 | $80K |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 62.2 | $484K |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | 55.5 | $1.4M |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 40.9 | $85K |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | 40.0 | $63K |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 36.4 | $869K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | 28.7 | $329K |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 24.2 | $100K |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 30.0 | $160K |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | 24.6 | $3.4M |
| Winter Weather | Very Low | 23.6 | $25K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 4.3 | $2K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 1.9 | $2K |
| Hurricane | No Rating | 0.0 | $0 |
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 | 138 | 0 | $4.5M | 19th of 72 | 1216th of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 136 | 0 | $1.9M | 39th of 72 | 1939th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 105 | 1 | $657K | 35th of 72 | 951st of 3,077 |
| Floods | 39 | 0 | $17M | 29th of 72 | 1728th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 21 | 0 | $46M | 37th of 72 | 1726th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 19 | 0 | – | 34th of 72 | 872nd of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 18 | 0 | – | 18th of 72 | 630th of 3,080 |
| Drought | 14 | 0 | – | 49th of 72 | 1616th of 3,063 |
| Heat | 13 | 0 | – | 27th of 72 | 1024th of 3,076 |
| High wind and dust storms | 6 | 0 | $189K | 50th of 72 | 2414th 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 Buffalo County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.