12 flood insurance claims·$65,401 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 Cass 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.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 8 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 2009, with 4 claims and $45,015 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.
3 NOAA storm reports from Cass County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Minnesota flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 16, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 29, 2022 |
| 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 Storms, Winds, And Flooding | Jul 4, 1999 |
| Severe Flooding, High Winds,severe Storms | Mar 21, 1997 |
| Severe Thunderstorms, Winds, Flooding, Tornadoes, And Heat | Jul 9, 1995 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
5 since 1996: 3 flash floods and 2 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 14, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Jun 20, 2012 | $300,000 |
| Flood | Apr 6, 1997 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 18, 2024. On Tuesday, June 18, 2024, a stationary surface front, in conjunction with an anomalously moist airmass over the Northland, resulting in widespread flash flooding. NWS Duluth issued seven Flash Flood Warnings (across much of NE MN and the Bayfield Peninsula), three of which were upgraded to include a considerable tag for life threatening flash flooding. Additionally, severe thunderstorms occurred ahead of the heav…
Flash Flood · Aug 14, 2020. A strong cold front pushed across Minnesota the evening of the 14th and led to the development of a line of storms ahead of the front. As the storms pushed across northeastern Minnesota, they produced all modes of severe weather. Heavy rainfall led to areas of flash flooding, mainly along the western Iron Range. The bulk of the severe reports consisted of damaging wind gusts that brought down numerous trees, leadi…
Flash Flood · Jul 12, 2018. Storms fired ahead of a cold front in a very moist and unstable environment. Storms marched east overnight and featured strong winds, frequent lighting and torrential rainfall that led to flash flooding.
Flood · Jun 20, 2012. A one in 500 year rainfall hit northeast Minnesota and far northwestern Wisconsin June 19th and 20th. An east to west front stalled just south of the area, across southern Minnesota and central Wisconsin early on June 19th: There was high humidity and record-breaking heat to the south of the front. Low pressure moving along the front reached southern Minnesota during the pre-dawn hours of June 20th. The low fo…
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 Cass 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.