La Crosse County Disaster Risk

La Crosse County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 81th percentile nationally out of 3,144 counties. This composite score reflects the county's overall exposure to natural hazards including floods, wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes, weighted by expected annual loss and social vulnerability.

La Crosse County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: tornado (85th percentile), flooding (74th percentile), earthquake (23th percentile), wildfire (12th percentile), hurricane (0th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is tornado at the 85th percentile nationally. These scores are derived from FEMA's National Risk Index, which analyzes expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience for each hazard type.

La Crosse County's composite risk percentile is 81th, compared to the Wisconsin state average of 59th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means La Crosse County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Wisconsin.

Yes, La Crosse County's tornado risk is at the 85th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, La Crosse County is at the 74th percentile.

FEMA's National Risk Index (NRI) calculates risk scores for 18 natural hazard types across all U.S. counties and census tracts. The composite score combines Expected Annual Loss (estimated dollar losses from each hazard), Social Vulnerability (demographic factors affecting disaster impact), and Community Resilience (ability to recover). Percentile scores rank each county against all 3,144 U.S. counties, and risk ratings range from Very Low to Very High.

La Crosse County's composite risk score of 81th percentile is above the Wisconsin state average of 59th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by tornado exposure (85th percentile), along with flooding risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.