31 flood insurance claims·$1.7M paid·1 federal flood & hurricane disasters
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 Gladwin 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.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 5 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 2020, with 10 claims and $1.4M 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.
6 NOAA storm reports from Gladwin County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Michigan flood stories →
12 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 16, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 22, 2017 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 20, 2004 |
| Snow | Dec 11, 2000 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Sep 10, 1986 |
| Blizzards & Snowstorms | Jan 27, 1978 |
| Drought | Mar 2, 1977 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
14 since 1996: 4 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 30, 2020 | $4,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 18, 2020 | $6.5M |
| Flood | May 18, 2020 | $11.0M |
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2020 | $4,000 |
| Flood | Jun 23, 2017 | $120,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 23, 2017 | $25,000 |
| Flood | Apr 14, 2014 | $80,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 22, 2008 | $25,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 · May 18, 2020. A very slow moving low pressure system advanced east from the central Plains. Unusually deep moisture was pushed northward into the Great Lakes region, ahead of this low. Multiple rounds of heavy rain fell in parts of northern lower Michigan on the 17th and 18th. This heavy rain targeted east central and northeast lower Michigan in particular. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches were common by the morning of the 18t…
Flood · May 18, 2020. A very slow moving low pressure system advanced east from the central Plains. Unusually deep moisture was pushed northward into the Great Lakes region, ahead of this low. Multiple rounds of heavy rain fell in parts of northern lower Michigan on the 17th and 18th. This heavy rain targeted east central and northeast lower Michigan in particular. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches were common by the morning of the 18t…
Flash Flood · Aug 10, 2020. Numerous showers and thunderstorms developed head of a cold front. Localized rainfall amounts of 2 to 3 inches produced minor flooding in a portion of Gladwin County. Isolated wind damage occurred in Alpena County.
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 Gladwin 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.