29 flood insurance claims·$253,386 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 Manistee 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 from summer thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in Manistee County, supported by historical event data recording nine flash floods, four lakeshore floods, and three general floods over the past 30 years. Recent impacts include a June 4, 2024 event where a warm, moist atmosphere and slow-moving storms produced heavy rain and localized flooding. Additionally, strong low-pressure systems generated lakeshore flooding along the Lake Michigan coastline, such as events on April 13, 2020 and November 1, 2020, which featured wind gusts of 40 to 58 mph.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that high-risk Zone A properties experienced the highest claim frequency with 17 filings, averaging a payout of $15,896 and an average recorded water depth of 29 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X registered five claims with a higher average payout of $67,245 and an average recorded water depth of zero inches. Homeowners near the lakeshore coastline should pay close attention to high-wind, low-pressure events that drive coastal flooding, while property owners in Zone A face risks associated with significant standing water depths during heavy precipitation and flash flood events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
19% of Manistee County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
21 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 29 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 6 claims and $43,021 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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Manistee County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Michigan flood stories →
7 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 6, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| 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.
16 since 1996: 9 flash floods, 3 river or area floods and 4 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 4, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 4, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Lakeshore Flood | Apr 13, 2020 | — |
| Lakeshore Flood | Nov 1, 2020 | $7,000 |
| Lakeshore Flood | Oct 22, 2019 | $142,000 |
| Flood | Jul 20, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2019 | $3.5M |
| Lakeshore Flood | Oct 16, 2019 | $350,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 4, 2024. Warm, moist atmosphere and slow moving storms resulted in heavy rain over Manistee county, with some localized flooding as a result.
Flash Flood · Jun 4, 2024. Warm, moist atmosphere and slow moving storms resulted in heavy rain over Manistee county, with some localized flooding as a result.
Lakeshore Flood · Apr 13, 2020. Strong low pressure passed just north of eastern upper Michigan on the morning of the 13th. Gusty west to northwest winds developed during the day, in the wake of the low. Gusts of 40 to 50 mph were common across northern Michigan, especially during the afternoon. The highest measured wind gust was 58 mph at the airport in Gaylord. Some localized power outages resulted. Lakeshore flooding also occurred along porti…
Lakeshore Flood · Nov 1, 2020. Strong low pressure crossing northern Ontario would drag a cold front across northern Michigan early on the 1st. Gusty southwest winds ahead of the front became even gustier out of the northwest behind the front. Peak measured wind gusts included 58 mph at Leland and Traverse City, 57 mph at Bay Mills, and 54 mph at Pellston. This resulted in spotty wind damage, as well as lakeshore flooding on parts of the Lake M…
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 Manistee 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.