19 flood insurance claims·$627,171 paid·5 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 Carlton County, Minnesota. 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 history of Carlton County, MN, supported by 18 flash flood events, 8 general flood events, and 5 lakeshore flood events recorded over the last 30 years in the NOAA Storm Events Database.
Specific recent events illustrate these risks. On June 4, 2019, daytime heating, increased shear, and a shortwave trough led to afternoon thunderstorms that developed over northeastern Minnesota. Subsequently, on June 4, 2024, storms along the I-35 corridor produced heavy rainfall that resulted in minor road washouts. Additionally, intense low pressure systems and winter storms have driven lakeshore flooding, such as the October 21, 2019 event featuring peak wind speeds topping 70 MPH and waves that caused damage along lakeshore areas, and the December 1, 2019 winter storm that brought blizzard conditions with widespread snowfall totals of 6 to 12 inches.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data shows vulnerability across multiple zones, with the highest claim counts occurring in Zone X (11 claims averaging an 8-inch recorded water depth and a $54,022 payout) and Zone X_UNSHADED (4 claims averaging a 2-inch recorded water depth and a $39,545 payout). Zone A recorded 1 claim with an average 2-inch water depth and a $32,425 payout, while Zone UNKNOWN recorded 3 claims averaging a 1-inch water depth and a $2,196 payout. Homeowners and real estate agents in Zone X and Zone X_UNSHADED, as well as properties near lakeshores and flash flood-prone corridors, should pay the most attention.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 5 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 2012, with 9 claims and $502,436 paid, the year of Severe Storms 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.
19 NOAA storm reports from Carlton County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Minnesota flood stories →
10 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 11, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 15, 2018 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 14, 2012 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Mar 23, 2001 |
| Drought | Jun 17, 1976 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Aug 25, 1972 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
31 since 1996: 18 flash floods, 8 river or area floods and 5 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 4, 2024 | $20,000 |
| Lakeshore Flood | Nov 30, 2019 | — |
| Lakeshore Flood | Oct 21, 2019 | $300,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 4, 2019 | — |
| Lakeshore Flood | Dec 1, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 17, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 15, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 4, 2024. A few storms developed during the afternoon and early evening hours of the 4th across east-central Minnesota in the wake of a warm front. A few of the stronger storms produced minor wind damage in the I-35 corridor of east-central Minnesota along with heavy rainfall resulting in minor road washouts.
Lakeshore Flood · Nov 30, 2019. A slow moving and powerful winter storm spread snow across the Northland starting the evening of the 29th and brought a few waves of snow into the afternoon of the 30th. The low then deepened and passed to the south of the region, bringing heavy snowfall and high winds the evening of the 30th into the morning of the 1st. A sustained 10 hour period of blizzard conditions was observed in the Twin Ports with widespre…
Lakeshore Flood · Oct 21, 2019. An intense area of low pressure approached the region through the day on Monday, October 21st, producing increasingly strong east to northeast winds. The winds increased through the day, and were especially strong coming off Lake Superior into the Twin Ports area. Peak wind speeds topped 70 MPH at some of the bridges and waves caused damage along many of the lake shore areas. In addition, the strong winds knocked…
Flash Flood · Jun 4, 2019. Thunderstorms developed over northeastern Minnesota on the afternoon of the 4th. A warm front was draped along the International Border with a secondary warm front pushing northward from the south. Daytime heating, advection of a more favorable airmass for severe weather and a shortwave trough moved into the western part of the area and lead to increased shear and steep lapse rates that led to the development of s…
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 Carlton 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.