128 flood insurance claims·$977,482 paid·2 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 Livingston 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.
Standard river flooding and seasonal weather events dominate the flood profile of Livingston County, as recorded by the NOAA Storm Events Database with 19 flood events and 2 flash flood events over the last 30 years.
Specific weather patterns have repeatedly triggered local high water and river overflow in the region. For example, a winter storm on January 14, 2020, brought two to four inches of rain over frozen ground, leading to moderate flooding along the Huron River and Clinton River. Additionally, a series of disturbances on February 21, 2018, delivered repeated rounds of heavy rainfall and record warmth that melted the snow pack over a 48-hour period.
National Flood Insurance Program records show that properties within designated Zone A have experienced the highest concentration of historical claims, totaling 90 claims with an average recorded water depth of 8 inches and an average payout of $13,455. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded 15 claims with an average water depth of 2 inches and an average payout of $13,983. Homeowners and real estate agents managing properties near rivers and within high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas should pay the closest attention to these historical flood patterns.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
11% of Livingston County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
101 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 6 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 2004, with 38 claims and $390,409 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Livingston County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Michigan flood stories →
9 federal disaster declarations since 1975, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Aug 24, 2023 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 20, 2004 |
| Power Outage | Aug 14, 2003 |
| Snow | Dec 11, 2000 |
| Blizzards & Snowstorms | Jan 27, 1978 |
| Severe Storms, High Winds & Flooding | Apr 26, 1975 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
21 since 1996: 2 flash floods and 19 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 12, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Jan 14, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Jan 11, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Feb 21, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 25, 2009 | — |
| Flood | Mar 10, 2009 | $500,000 |
| Flood | Sep 15, 2008 | $150,000 |
| Flood | Sep 14, 2008 | $250,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 12, 2021. Two rounds of thunderstorms impacted Southeastern Michigan on August 11: the first during the afternoon and the second during the late evening into the following morning. The first round produced widespread severe wind gusts across the area between 3 and 5pm as a well-organized line swept eastward across the state. This line knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of customers as widespread tree and power line…
Flood · Jan 14, 2020. Two to four inches of rain with a frozen ground lead to moderate flooding along the Huron River and Clinton River.
Flood · Jan 11, 2020. A winter storm tracking through southeast Michigan brought heavy rain and freezing rain, with about a quarter of an inch ice from US-10 south to about M-57. Many accidents and spin outs occurred across the Tri-Cities region and Flint vicinity due to the icy roads. In addition, strong northeast winds lead to high water levels and large waves causing significant lakeshore flooding and erosion along Bay, Tuscola, and…
Flood · Feb 21, 2018. A series of disturbances traveling along a slow-moving frontal boundary to the west of Southeast Michigan brought repeated rounds of heavy rainfall to the region over a 48 hour period. As the main low pressure system moved northeastward from the Central Plains to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on Tuesday, February 20, record high moisture content for February standards moved into Southeast Michigan. Record warmth…
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 Livingston 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.