Minnesota winter weather risk
St. Louis County has the highest winter weather risk in Minnesota, scoring 98 out of 100 — rated "Very High" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Louis County | 98 | Very High | 0 |
| 2 | Otter Tail County | 97.5 | Very High | 0 |
| 3 | Hennepin County | 97.4 | Very High | 0 |
| 4 | Clay County | 95.8 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 5 | Blue Earth County | 93.5 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 6 | Stearns County | 92.3 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 7 | Ramsey County | 92.2 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 8 | Polk County | 92.1 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 9 | Dakota County | 91.9 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 10 | Douglas County | 91.8 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 11 | Nobles County | 91.3 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 12 | Becker County | 89.5 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 13 | Martin County | 89.1 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 14 | Lyon County | 86.9 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 15 | Beltrami County | 84.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 16 | Anoka County | 84.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 17 | Olmsted County | 83.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 18 | Lake County | 83.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 19 | Brown County | 81.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 20 | Redwood County | 81 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 21 | Faribault County | 80.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 22 | Nicollet County | 79.4 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 23 | Roseau County | 79.4 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 24 | Freeborn County | 78.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 25 | Cottonwood County | 78.4 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 26 | Renville County | 78.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 27 | Cass County | 78.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 28 | Mower County | 77.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 29 | Pennington County | 76.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 30 | Washington County | 76.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 31 | Watonwan County | 76.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 32 | Murray County | 75.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 33 | Pipestone County | 74.9 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 34 | Yellow Medicine County | 74.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 35 | Jackson County | 74 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 36 | Chippewa County | 73.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 37 | Rice County | 73.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 38 | Hubbard County | 73.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 39 | Wright County | 72.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 40 | Kandiyohi County | 71.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 41 | Pope County | 70.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 42 | Lincoln County | 70.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 43 | Marshall County | 70.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 44 | Swift County | 68.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 45 | Norman County | 66.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 46 | Rock County | 65.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 47 | Winona County | 64.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 48 | Scott County | 64.4 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 49 | Wadena County | 63.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 50 | Lac qui Parle County | 63.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 51 | Big Stone County | 62.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 52 | Meeker County | 62.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 53 | Stevens County | 61.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 54 | McLeod County | 61 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 55 | Wilkin County | 60.9 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 56 | Itasca County | 60.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 57 | Crow Wing County | 58.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 58 | Waseca County | 57.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 59 | Traverse County | 57 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 60 | Mahnomen County | 54.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 61 | Cook County | 52.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 62 | Grant County | 52.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 63 | Sherburne County | 51.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 64 | Clearwater County | 50.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 65 | Goodhue County | 50 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 66 | Carver County | 49.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 67 | Carlton County | 47.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 68 | Kittson County | 45.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 69 | Koochiching County | 44.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 70 | Benton County | 44.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 71 | Steele County | 43.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 72 | Chisago County | 42.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 73 | Fillmore County | 42.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 74 | Sibley County | 42.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 75 | Wabasha County | 34.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 76 | Le Sueur County | 33.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 77 | Todd County | 32.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 78 | Pine County | 32.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 79 | Dodge County | 30.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 80 | Houston County | 29 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 81 | Red Lake County | 29 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 82 | Morrison County | 27.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 83 | Mille Lacs County | 25.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 84 | Isanti County | 25.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 85 | Lake of the Woods County | 24.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 86 | Aitkin County | 21.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 87 | Kanabec County | 18.3 | Very Low | 0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Winter Weather risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Minnesota:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest winter weather risk county in Minnesota?
St. Louis County, MN has the highest winter weather risk in Minnesota, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 98 out of 100 (rated "Very High").
How many counties in Minnesota are rated Very High for winter weather risk?
3 of 87 scored Minnesota counties are rated "Very High" for winter weather risk by FEMA's National Risk Index.
What causes winter weather risk in Minnesota?
Winter weather risk captures expected losses from heavy snow, blizzards, and mixed precipitation. Highest scores appear in the Great Lakes snowbelt, northern Rockies, and interior Northeast, where lake-effect and orographic snowfall is frequent. Winter weather impacts transportation networks, utilities, agriculture, and population health.