6 flood insurance claims·$136,915 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 Chippewa 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.
The worst year was 2016, with 1 claims and $122,643 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 Chippewa 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 |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Deep Freeze | Jan 10, 1994 |
| Blizzards & Snowstorms | Jan 27, 1978 |
| Drought | Mar 2, 1977 |
| Snowstorms | Feb 5, 1977 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
7 since 1996: 4 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 7, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Apr 30, 2020 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 10, 2013 | $125,000 |
| Flood | Sep 24, 2010 | — |
| Flood | Apr 9, 2008 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 12, 2001 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 2, 1999 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 7, 2025. An area of storms developed in a hot and very humid air mass and rode down a subtle surface boundary through the eastern UP during the early morning hours on the 8th, producing mainly heavy rain and some gusty winds.
Flood · Apr 30, 2020. A slow-moving low pressure system crossed southern lower Michigan on the 30th. Ahead of this low, heavy rain fell across much of northern Michigan on the 29th into the 30th. Rainfall amounts exceeded two inches in some locations. The highest 72-hour totals, as of the morning of May 1st, were 3.43 inches on Drummond Island, 3.32 inches at Cheboygan, 3.22 inches at DeTour Village, and 2.92 inches at Pellston. Some l…
Flash Flood · Sep 10, 2013. Multiple thunderstorms moved over portions of the upper St Marys River valley on the night of the 9th. Most of the heavy rain fell on the Canadian side of the border, but the swath of excessive rain did cross the north half of Sugar Island.
Flood · Sep 24, 2010. Two days of heavy rain produced localized flooding in Eastern Upper Michigan. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 5 inches were common, most of which fell on the night of the 23rd. Raber picked up 4.75 inches of rain, Cedarville 4.10 inches, and St Ignace 3.40 inches.
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 Chippewa 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.