547 flood insurance claims·$27.8M paid·4 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 Midland 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 dominates the flood character of Midland County, supported by 15 recorded flood events compared to 5 flash flood events over the last 30 years according to the NOAA Storm Events Database.
Significant historical impacts occurred during a stalled low pressure system and frontal boundary that brought record rainfall of 4 to 6 inches to the Tri-Cities region from May 17 through May 19, 2020. This May 2020 event caused rivers across the region to flood, resulting in significant flooding along the Saginaw River and historic flooding across the area.
Homeowners and real estate agents should pay the most attention to properties in Zone A, which accounts for the vast majority of historical flood insurance claims with 460 claims averaging $61,432 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Properties in Zone X also warrant attention, having recorded 66 claims with an average payout of $48,024 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
2% of Midland County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
470 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 4 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 237 claims and $19.8M 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.
11 NOAA storm reports from Midland County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Michigan flood stories →
14 federal disaster declarations since 1975, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 16, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 22, 2017 |
| Flooding | Apr 16, 2013 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Snow | Dec 11, 2000 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 21, 1996 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Sep 10, 1986 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 5, 1985 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
20 since 1996: 5 flash floods and 15 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 20, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 19, 2020 | $100.0M |
| Flood | May 18, 2020 | $10.0M |
| Flood | Mar 15, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Feb 21, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Jun 23, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2017 | $116.4M |
| Flood | Aug 16, 2016 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 20, 2020. A stalled low pressure system and frontal boundary across the southern Great Lakes region brought record rainfall to southeast Michigan beginning the morning of May 17, 2020 and continuing into the afternoon hours of May 19, 2020. Total rainfall reached 1 to 6 inches across southeast Michigan, with the 4 to 6 inches focused across the Tri-Cities region. As a result, several rivers across the region flooded includi…
Flash Flood · May 19, 2020. A stalled low pressure system and frontal boundary across the southern Great Lakes region brought record rainfall to southeast Michigan beginning the morning of May 17, 2020 and continuing into the afternoon hours of May 19, 2020. Total rainfall reached 1 to 6 inches across southeast Michigan, with the 4 to 6 inches focused across the Tri-Cities region. As a result, several rivers across the region flooded includi…
Flood · May 18, 2020. A stalled low pressure system and frontal boundary across the southern Great Lakes region brought record rainfall to southeast Michigan beginning the morning of May 17, 2020 and continuing into the afternoon hours of May 19, 2020. Total rainfall reached 1 to 6 inches across southeast Michigan, with the 4 to 6 inches focused across the Tri-Cities region. As a result, several rivers across the region flooded includi…
Flood · Mar 15, 2019. Snow pack with 2 inches of liquid water equivalent melted, coupled with rainfall slightly above half of an inch, caused the Tittabawassee River at Midland to reach moderate flood level. The river peaked at 25.41 feet during the morning of March 16th. Several roads were closed due to flooding, including parts of US-10.
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 Midland 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.