1,437 flood insurance claims·$8.9M paid·6 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 Macomb 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.
Flash flooding and standard riverine or inland flooding from summer thunderstorms dominate the flood risk profile in Macomb County, which recorded 36 flood events, 25 flash flood events, and 10 lakeshore flood events over the last 30 years. Recent NOAA storm data illustrates this pattern, including heavy downpours and stationary storms on July 28, 2025, that produced radar-estimated rainfall of 3 inches and flash flooding near Sterling Heights, as well as severe thunderstorms along the M-59 corridor on July 23, 2024, which dropped 2 to 2.5 inches of rain over a short period and caused localized flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, with the highest volume concentrated in high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for 895 claims with an average payout of $11,339 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded 140 claims with an average payout of $13,409 and a notably higher average recorded water depth of 22 inches. Shaded and unshaded Zone X areas recorded hundreds of lower-severity claims with average water depths of 2 to 3 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents working with properties in high-risk Zone A, as well as properties in Zone X that have experienced deeper standing water during heavy rainfall events, should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
29% of Macomb County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,260 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 1986, with 515 claims and $658,205 paid, the year of Severe Storms & 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.
23 NOAA storm reports from Macomb County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Michigan flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Aug 24, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 25, 2021 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 11, 2014 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 20, 2004 |
| Power Outage | Aug 14, 2003 |
| Snow | Dec 11, 2000 |
| Mi - Severe Weather 1/2 /99 | Jan 2, 1999 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
71 since 1996: 25 flash floods, 36 river or area floods and 10 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 23, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 2, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2021 | $1.0M |
| Flash Flood | Aug 12, 2021 | $100,000 |
| Flood | Aug 28, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 28, 2020 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 28, 2025. A very warm and humid airmass supported the development of thunderstorms. Weak winds aloft limited storm motion speeds leading to some stationary storms that produced flooding. One storm developed right over Detroit Metro Airport, producing 2.68 of rainfall in 2.5 hours which lead to flash flooding. Additional storms near Sterling Heights produced radar estamited 3 inches of rain, which also led to flash flooding.…
Flash Flood · Jun 18, 2025. Multiple rounds of thunderstorms impacted portions of Southeast Michigan on June 18, 2025. The first round consisted of sub-severe pop-up thunderstorms during the morning hours. These produced pockets of heavy downpours but otherwise brought some relief to areas that had seen relatively dry conditions in recent days. Showers expanded in coverage across the southern part of the state by late morning to early aftern…
Flash Flood · Jul 23, 2024. A few severe thunderstorms developed along the M-59 corridor, producing both hail and damaging winds, with flooding also occuring over parts of Macomb and Wayne counties. Rainfall totals of 2 to 2.5 inches were observed over a short period.
Flash Flood · Aug 2, 2024. A quick 2 inches of rain fell in a very short period of time, leading to some flooding on I-94.
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 Macomb 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.