1,672 flood insurance claims·$9.9M 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 Monroe 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.
Lakeshore flooding and riverine flooding from summer storms dominate the flood profile of Monroe County, Michigan, backed by 18 lakeshore flood events and 15 general flood events recorded over the last 30 years. Torrential rainfall events, such as the thunderstorms on August 24, 2023, produced 3 to 5 inches of rain that caused widespread residential flooding, road closures, and stranded vehicles, while high winds of 30 to 40 mph during lakeshore events like the one on May 28, 2021, forced the evacuation of 40 to 50 homes on Allen Cove Drive in Luna Pier due to elevated water levels along the western Lake Erie shoreline.
National Flood Insurance Program records show the vast majority of claims are concentrated in Zone A, which accounts for 1,486 claims with an average payout of $7,345 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. By comparison, Zone X properties experienced fewer claims—37 claims—but recorded the highest average payout at $21,410 and an average water depth of 5 inches. Coastal property owners along Lake Erie, residents living near low-lying areas vulnerable to flash flooding, and property owners located in high-risk Zone A areas should pay the closest attention to flood risks in the county.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
4% of Monroe County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,555 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 3 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 1985, with 559 claims and $2.5M 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.
19 NOAA storm reports from Monroe County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Michigan flood stories →
11 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Aug 24, 2023 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Power Outage | Aug 14, 2003 |
| Mi - Severe Weather 1/2 /99 | Jan 2, 1999 |
| Flooding | Mar 29, 1982 |
| Blizzards & Snowstorms | Jan 27, 1978 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Apr 12, 1973 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Dec 1, 1972 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
38 since 1996: 5 flash floods, 15 river or area floods and 18 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Aug 24, 2023 | $1.0M |
| Flash Flood | Aug 24, 2023 | — |
| Lakeshore Flood | May 28, 2021 | — |
| Lakeshore Flood | Apr 26, 2020 | — |
| Lakeshore Flood | Apr 23, 2020 | — |
| Lakeshore Flood | Mar 22, 2020 | — |
| Lakeshore Flood | May 16, 2020 | — |
| Lakeshore Flood | May 13, 2020 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Aug 24, 2023. Thunderstorms producing torrential rainfall led to flooding in the Detroit metro area early Thursday morning (August 24th). Western Wayne county into Monroe county was hardest hit resulting in widespread residential flooding, road closures, and stranded vehicles. Most notable was the closure of Dingell Drive at Detroit Metro Airport which cut off access to the McNamara terminal for several hours. A lengthy closure…
Flash Flood · Aug 24, 2023. Thunderstorms producing torrential rainfall led to flooding in the Detroit metro area early Thursday morning (August 24th). Western Wayne county into Monroe county was hardest hit resulting in widespread residential flooding, road closures, and stranded vehicles. Most notable was the closure of Dingell Drive at Detroit Metro Airport which cut off access to the McNamara terminal for several hours. A lengthy closure…
Lakeshore Flood · May 28, 2021. East-northeast winds of 30 to 40 mph lead to elevated water levels and flooding along the western Lake Erie shoreline. An estimated 40 to 50 homes on Allen Cove Drive in Luna Pier, MI were evacuated due to flooding. There are also reports of minor street flooding up and down the lakeshore.
Lakeshore Flood · Apr 26, 2020. Prolonged east-northeast winds of 15 to 20 mph over Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair lead to some lakeshore flooding, as water levels remain at record high values.
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 Monroe 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.