10 flood insurance claims·$38,343 paid·3 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 Gogebic 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.
River flooding and flash flooding from heavy rain and snowmelt dominate the flood history of Gogebic County. Over the last 30 years, NOAA recorded 9 flood events, 6 flash flood events, and 2 lakeshore flood events.
Recent historic impacts are documented in NOAA storm narratives. In April 2019, abundant snowpack combined with periods of moderate to heavy rain to cause widespread minor river flooding. Later, rapid melting of above-normal snowpack caused extensive flooding in April 2023, prompting a state of emergency declaration from Governor Whitmer for eight counties in west and central Upper Michigan.
NFIP insurance claims data indicates that homeowners and real estate agents in both high-risk and moderate-to-low risk zones should pay attention to flood preparation. Zone X recorded 8 claims with an average payout of $7,086 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Zone A recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $10,000 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 1 claim with a $0 average payout and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 2 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 2002, with 4 claims and $13,201 paid, the year of Flooding.
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.
8 NOAA storm reports from Gogebic County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Michigan flood stories →
9 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jun 16, 2018 |
| Flooding | Apr 16, 2013 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Flooding | Apr 10, 2002 |
| 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.
17 since 1996: 6 flash floods, 9 river or area floods and 2 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 12, 2023 | $20.0M |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2020 | $4,000 |
| Flood | Apr 22, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 17, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 17, 2018 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Jun 15, 2018 | $344,000 |
| Lakeshore Flood | Oct 27, 2017 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Aug 10, 2017 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 12, 2023. Rapid melting of much above normal snowpack caused widespread, and at times, extensive flooding over portions of west and central Upper Michigan from the 12th into the 25th. Extensive impacts from the flooding caused Governor Whitmer to declare a state of emergency declaration for eight counties in west and central Upper Michigan on the 21st.
Flash Flood · Aug 9, 2020. Increasing moisture and instability ahead of cold front approaching from the Northern Plains aided the development of strong to severe thunderstorms over portions of western Upper Michigan from the afternoon of the 9th into the morning of the 10th.
Flood · Apr 22, 2019. Abundant and anomalously wet snow pack along with periods of moderate to heavy rain contributed to widespread minor river flooding across much of west and central Upper Michigan from the 18th through the end of the month.
Flash Flood · Jun 17, 2018. A very moist and unstable air mass in place and the presence of a nearly stationary frontal boundary produced several rounds of severe storms and flash flooding across portions of west and central Upper Michigan from the 16th into the 17th. The hardest-hit area was in Houghton County where widespread rain amounts of 3 to almost 7 inches caused massive flood damage to the City of Houghton and surrounding areas an…
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 Gogebic 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.