36 flood insurance claims·$1.7M paid
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Cheboygan County, Michigan. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Less than 1% of Cheboygan County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
30 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 7 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2026, with 32 claims and $1.7M paid.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
1 NOAA storm reports from Cheboygan County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Michigan flood stories →
7 federal disaster declarations since 1977.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Mar 28, 2025 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Deep Freeze | Jan 10, 1994 |
| Blizzards & Snowstorms | Jan 27, 1978 |
| Drought | Mar 2, 1977 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
4 since 1996: 1 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 29, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Apr 27, 2011 | $25,000 |
| Flood | Jan 31, 2004 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 1, 2001 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 29, 2024. Unusually moist airmass ahead of an approaching mesolow and lake breezes led to development of efficient rain-producing showers and storms in the late afternoon...leading to rainfall rates near two and a half inches per hour at times. Storm total rainfall by the next morning was largely between 1 and locally as high as 4-6 inches.
Flood · Apr 27, 2011. Several days of significant rainfall resulted in localized flooding in northern Cheboygan County. Inverness Trail was washed out near Maynard Road. Numerous other secondary and gravel roads were washed out and closed. Water levels reached the sides of a few homes.
Flood · Jan 31, 2004. An ice jam developed on the Sturgeon River, backing up water into the flood plain near Wolverine. One home was inundated, with damage to a big screen television among other items. Local officials manually cleared the ice jam later in the day.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Cheboygan County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.