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Natural hazard risk in Marathon County, Wisconsin

Updated October 30, 2026. Based on FEMA, NOAA and OpenFEMA data. Published by Humblebee.

FEMA overall Risk Index rating: Relatively Moderate (score 87.1 of 100)[5]

Expected annual loss (FEMA)
$74.9 million[1]
Federal disaster declarations since 1965
10[2]
NFIP flood claims paid, 1978 to 2026
$359,000[3]
Tornadoes recorded, 1950 to 2024
61[4]

FEMA's National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025) gives Marathon County an overall rating of Relatively Moderate[5]. The hazards with the highest FEMA scores within the county are cold wave, lightning and hail[6].

FEMA risk ratings for each hazard

Ratings and expected losses from the FEMA National Risk Index. Each rating compares this county with all US counties for that hazard, from Very Low to Very High. They are planning estimates, not predictions, and they do not describe any single property.

FEMA rates the overall natural hazard risk for Marathon County Relatively Moderate, with a score of 87.1 out of 100[5]. FEMA's scores compare the county with all US counties[5]. FEMA's National Risk Index estimates Expected Annual Loss from all 18 natural hazards at $74.9 million a year[1]. Sorted by Expected Annual Loss within the county, the hazards are inland flooding at $35.6 million a year, cold wave at $27.4 million a year and tornado at $5.5 million a year, out of $74.9 million from all 18 hazards[7]. Expected Annual Loss is a FEMA estimate of average yearly loss, and the index does not predict next year's damage[8]. FEMA rates Social Vulnerability Relatively Low[9] and Community Resilience Very High[10].

Hazards sorted by FEMA hazard-type Risk Index score, highest first
HazardFEMA risk ratingExpected annual loss
Cold WaveRelatively High$27.4 million[11]
LightningRelatively High$2.1 million[12]
HailRelatively Moderate$2.3 million[13]
Inland FloodingRelatively Moderate$35.6 million[14]
TornadoRelatively Moderate$5.5 million[15]
Winter WeatherRelatively Moderate$155,000[16]
Heat WaveRelatively Low$745,000[17]
LandslideVery Low$2,965[18]
Ice StormRelatively Low$147,000[19]
Strong WindRelatively Moderate$753,000[20]
WildfireVery Low$29,000[21]
EarthquakeVery Low$27,000[22]

Rated Not Applicable by FEMA for this county: avalanche, coastal flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity[23].

Social vulnerability and community resilience

FEMA uses these two ratings to scale expected losses into the Risk Index.

FEMA measureRatingScore
Social vulnerabilityRelatively Low24.6[9]
Community resilienceVery High86.7[10]

Flooding and flood insurance

FEMA rates inland flooding risk Relatively Moderate for Marathon County, with a score of 87.6 out of 100[14]. OpenFEMA lists 199 residential flood insurance contracts in force as of 2026-08-03[24]. Inside FEMA's mapped Special Flood Hazard Area, there were 141 residential flood insurance contracts for 750 residential structures, a rate of 18.8%[24]. OpenFEMA records 69 NFIP claims for losses from 1978 to 2026, and NFIP paid $359,000 in total[3]. FEMA's Flood Map Service Center is the place to look up an address[25].

Measure Value
Inland Flooding, FEMA risk rating[14] Relatively Moderate, $35.6 million expected loss a year
NFIP residential flood policies in force (2026)[24] 199 of 45,332 homes
Homes in FEMA's mapped high-risk flood area (SFHA)[24] 750, of which 141 insured
NFIP flood claims, 1978 to 2026[3] 69 filed, $359,000 paid

Is a specific address in a flood zone? Only FEMA's flood maps answer that, property by property[25]. This page describes the whole county.

Search an address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center

Disaster declarations and tornado records

OpenFEMA lists 10 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Marathon County since 1965[2]. The most recent is DR-4923-WI for severe storms, tornadoes and flooding, declared 2026-06-30[26]. NOAA's tornado database records 61 tornadoes touching the county from 1950 to 2024[4]. The most recent recorded tornado was on 2024-06-17[4].

Federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Marathon County, since 1965
Incident type Declarations
Severe Storm[2] 4
Flood[2] 2
Tornado[2] 2
Drought[2] 1
Hurricane[2] 1
Most recent declarations
Declaration Incident Declared
DR-4923-WI[26] Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding 2026-06-30
DR-1944-WI[26] Severe Storms And Flooding 2010-10-21
EM-3249-WI[26] Hurricane Katrina Evacuation 2005-09-13
DR-1526-WI[26] Severe Storms And Flooding 2004-06-18
DR-1432-WI[26] Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding 2002-09-10

How to prepare

Steps from Ready.gov, FEMA's preparedness site, for the hazards with the highest FEMA ratings here. Follow instructions from local officials and the National Weather Service when a warning is issued.

Winter storms and cold

Before

  • Insulate your home and learn how to keep pipes from freezing.
  • Install and test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors with battery backup.
  • Keep several days of supplies in case the power goes out, including medication and pet needs.
  • Put an emergency kit in your car with jumper cables, sand, blankets, water and snacks, and keep the tank full.

During

  • Under a winter storm warning, find shelter right away.
  • Stay off the roads if you can. If you are stuck in your car, stay inside it.
  • Run generators and grills only outdoors, away from windows, and never heat your home with an oven or stove.

Source: Ready.gov, winter storms and cold

Floods

Before

  • Check your flood risk with FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, and remember that floods do not follow map lines.
  • Sign up for your community's warning system. NOAA Weather Radio also broadcasts alerts.
  • Buy flood insurance through the NFIP well before a disaster. Homeowners policies do not cover flooding, and a new policy typically takes up to 30 days to go into effect.
  • Make a household plan with evacuation routes, shelter locations and what to do in a flash flood.
  • Keep important documents in a waterproof container and make password-protected digital copies.

During

  • If you are told to evacuate, leave right away and never drive around barricades.
  • Do not walk, swim or drive through floodwater. Six inches of moving water can knock you down.
  • If you are trapped in a building, go to the highest level, but do not climb into a closed attic.

Source: Ready.gov, floods

Tornadoes

Before

  • Learn the warning signs: a rotating funnel cloud, an approaching cloud of debris or a loud roar like a freight train.
  • Sign up for community warning systems and learn what your local sirens sound like.
  • Pick a safe spot, such as a safe room built to FEMA criteria or an ICC 500 storm shelter, and practice getting there.
  • Include your pets in the household emergency plan.
  • Keep supplies, food, water and medication in case you have to stay home for a long time.

During

  • Go right away to the safe place you picked in advance.
  • Protect your head and neck with your arms and stay away from windows, doors and outside walls.
  • No place in a car is fully safe. If you can get lower than the road, leave the car and lie down there.

Source: Ready.gov, tornadoes

Questions people ask

Is Marathon County at risk of flooding?
FEMA rates inland flooding risk Relatively Moderate compared with other US counties, with an Expected Annual Loss of $35.6 million a year[14]. Flood zones apply to single addresses, so check FEMA's Flood Map Service Center[25].
Does Marathon County get tornadoes?
NOAA's tornado database records 61 tornadoes touching the county from 1950 to 2024[4]. FEMA rates tornado risk Relatively Moderate compared with other US counties[15].
Is Marathon County at risk of earthquakes?
FEMA rates earthquake risk Very Low compared with other US counties[22]. Its Expected Annual Loss is $27,000 a year[22].
How many disasters have been declared in Marathon County?
OpenFEMA lists 10 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include the county since 1965[2].
Is Marathon County at risk of wildfire?
FEMA rates wildfire risk Very Low compared with other US counties[21].

Facts and sources

  1. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Expected Annual Loss from all 18 natural hazards in Marathon County is $74.9 million a year (Expected Annual Loss rating Relatively Moderate, score 88.3). Of this, buildings account for $41.9 million, injuries and deaths (converted to dollars by FEMA) for... FEMA National Risk Index
  2. OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries list 10 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Marathon County since 1965 (8 major disaster, 2 emergency or fire management). By incident type: severe storm 4, flood 2, tornado 2, drought 1, hurricane 1. Biological (such as COVID-19) and other... OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations
  3. HazardFacts tally of OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims (losses from 1978 to 2026): 69 National Flood Insurance Program claims were filed for losses in Marathon County, 47 of them with a payment, and NFIP paid $359,000 in total (building, contents and increased cost of compliance, in dollars of the year paid). Years... OpenFEMA NFIP claims
  4. NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950 to 2024): 61 recorded tornadoes touched Marathon County. The strongest were rated F4 (most recent of them on 1977-08-31). 5 were rated F3/EF3 or stronger. The most recent recorded tornado was on 2024-06-17. Ratings used the Fujita scale until early 2007 and the... NOAA Storm Prediction Center
  5. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): the overall natural hazard Risk Index rating for Marathon County is Relatively Moderate, with a Risk Index score of 87.1 out of 100. The score is the county's percentile rank among all US counties. FEMA National Risk Index
  6. Among the 18 hazards in the FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), the hazards with the highest hazard-type Risk Index scores for Marathon County are cold wave (98.4, Relatively High), lightning (95.1, Relatively High), hail (91.7, Relatively Moderate). HazardFacts sorted FEMA's published scores;... FEMA National Risk Index
  7. HazardFacts sorted FEMA's hazard-type Expected Annual Loss values for Marathon County (National Risk Index v1.20): the largest are inland flooding ($35.6 million a year), cold wave ($27.4 million a year), tornado ($5.5 million a year), out of $74.9 million a year from all 18 hazards. FEMA National Risk Index
  8. FEMA's National Risk Index FAQ (December 2025): Expected Annual Loss is FEMA's estimate of the average economic loss in dollars from natural hazards each year. The index is not meant to predict how much damage a community will have in the next year, and a hazard can still cause damage where a rating is low. Scores... FEMA National Risk Index documentation
  9. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Social Vulnerability rating for Marathon County is Relatively Low (score 24.6). FEMA describes social vulnerability as how susceptible social groups are to the harm natural hazards cause. FEMA National Risk Index
  10. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Community Resilience rating for Marathon County is Very High (score 86.7). FEMA describes community resilience as a community's ability to prepare for, withstand and recover from hazards. FEMA National Risk Index
  11. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), cold wave in Marathon County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 98.4 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $27.4 million a year (rating Very High). Annualized frequency 8.79 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  12. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), lightning in Marathon County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 95.1 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $2.1 million a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 31.86 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 24 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  13. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), hail in Marathon County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 91.7 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $2.3 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 2.21 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 37 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  14. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), inland flooding in Marathon County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 87.6 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $35.6 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 0.79 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of... FEMA National Risk Index
  15. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), tornado in Marathon County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 83.7 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $5.5 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 0.6 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 38 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  16. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), winter weather in Marathon County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 71.2 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $155,000 a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 16.21 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18... FEMA National Risk Index
  17. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), heat wave in Marathon County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 62.7 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $745,000 a year (rating Relatively Low). Annualized frequency 1.37 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  18. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), landslide in Marathon County: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 59.4 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $2,965 a year (rating Very Low). FEMA National Risk Index
  19. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), ice storm in Marathon County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 59.0 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $147,000 a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 0.19 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 68 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  20. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), strong wind in Marathon County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 56.9 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $753,000 a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 2.12 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 38 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  21. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), wildfire in Marathon County: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 40.0 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $29,000 a year (rating Very Low). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 0 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  22. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), earthquake in Marathon County: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 18.0 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $27,000 a year (rating Very Low). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 0.0003 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  23. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025) rates these hazards Not Applicable for Marathon County: avalanche, coastal flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity. FEMA uses Not Applicable when its source data has no historical record of the hazard in the community and the hazard is not considered... FEMA National Risk Index documentation
  24. NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (OpenFEMA, as of 2026-08-03): 199 residential flood insurance contracts were in force in Marathon County, out of 45,332 residential structures, a penetration rate of 0.4%. Inside FEMA's mapped Special Flood Hazard Area there were 750 residential structures and 141 contracts, a... OpenFEMA NFIP penetration rates
  25. FEMA's Flood Map Service Center is the official public source for flood maps (Flood Insurance Rate Maps) produced under the National Flood Insurance Program. Flood zones apply to specific properties: look up an address there or ask the local floodplain manager. County-level ratings do not tell you the flood zone of... FEMA Flood Map Service Center
  26. Most recent federal disaster declarations for natural hazards (table on this page). OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations

FEMA's National Risk Index compares each county with all other US counties. Ratings are relative (Very Low to Very High), not a measure of safety. Never call a place safe, unsafe, good or bad to live in. Risk Index and Expected Annual Loss values are FEMA estimates for planning. They do not predict next year's losses and do not apply to a single property. Flood zones are set by FEMA flood maps for specific properties. County ratings and flood insurance counts do not tell anyone whether an address is in a flood zone. Disaster declaration, NFIP and tornado counts are records of the past for this county only. Do not compare with other counties unless a fact does.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Risk Index Dataset: National Risk Index Counties, v1.20 (December 2025). Retrieved from fema.maps.arcgis.com on October 30, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.