Cottonwood County, Minnesota: hazard risk
FEMA rates Cottonwood County's overall risk Very Low (score 27.7 of 100, higher than 27% of rated U.S. counties). Its storm record holds 707 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | 78.4 | $182K |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 75.2 | $669K |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | 70.9 | $2.1M |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | 66.3 | $395K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | 53.6 | $582K |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | 53.7 | $95K |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 46.8 | $303K |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 42.8 | $916K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 36.8 | $494 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 32.6 | $16K |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | 30.9 | $3.4M |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 10.0 | $9K |
| Lightning | Very Low | 9.3 | $29K |
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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 206 | 1 | $16M | 7th of 87 | 302nd of 3,077 |
| Hail | 144 | 0 | $2.1M | 41st of 87 | 1202nd of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 132 | 0 | $5.8M | 45th of 87 | 2134th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 57 | 0 | $29M | 9th of 87 | 1056th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 45 | 0 | $252K | 6th of 87 | 598th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 40 | 0 | – | 29th of 87 | 365th of 3,076 |
| Drought | 29 | 0 | $5.2M | 6th of 87 | 1046th of 3,063 |
| Tornadoes | 26 | 0 | $94M | 31st of 87 | 1253rd of 3,080 |
| Heat | 19 | 0 | – | 12th of 87 | 783rd of 3,076 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $114K | 18th of 87 | 1058th of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 3 | 0 | – | 47th of 87 | 1387th of 3,080 |
| Wildfires | 1 | 0 | $32K | 7th of 87 | 993rd of 2,972 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Cottonwood County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.