St. Louis County, Minnesota: hazard risk
FEMA rates St. Louis County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 91.6 of 100, higher than 91% of rated U.S. counties); 3 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by cold wave, winter weather, lightning. Its storm record holds 2,311 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Very High | 99.4 | $51M |
| Winter Weather | Very High | 98.0 | $1.4M |
| Lightning | Very High | 97.6 | $2.9M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 91.8 | $50M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 86.5 | $2.4M |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 84.0 | $1.2M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | 71.3 | $1.1M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | 63.6 | $168K |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 81.7 | $512K |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 64.7 | $2.2M |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 42.2 | $89K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 57.4 | $2K |
| Coastal Flooding | Very Low | 35.0 | $9K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 3.2 | $3K |
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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 647 | 2 | $562K | 84th of 87 | 2641st of 3,080 |
| Hail | 525 | 0 | $91M | 84th of 87 | 2616th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 511 | 13 | $22M | 86th of 87 | 2411th of 3,077 |
| Extreme cold | 235 | 11 | – | 86th of 87 | 1372nd of 3,076 |
| Drought | 156 | 0 | – | 42nd of 87 | 1978th of 3,063 |
| Floods | 113 | 0 | $30M | 82nd of 87 | 2818th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 43 | 3 | $50M | 83rd of 87 | 2647th of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 26 | 1 | $2.8M | 29th of 87 | 1412th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 24 | 1 | $831K | 82nd of 87 | 2831st of 3,080 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 10 | 4 | $202K | 2nd of 87 | 195th of 2,080 |
| Wildfires | 8 | 0 | $29M | 12th of 87 | 1182nd of 2,972 |
| Heat | 5 | 6 | – | 81st of 87 | 2428th of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 3 | 0 | – | 69th of 87 | 2369th 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 St. Louis County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.