15 flood insurance claims·$64,492 paid·2 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 Cook 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 risk profile in Cook County, Minnesota, based on NOAA storm event data recording 17 flash floods, 3 general floods, and 1 coastal flood over the last 30 years.
Recent historical impacts include severe storms producing heavy rainfall and isolated flash flooding during the morning hours of August 9, 2025, as well as widespread flash flooding resulting from a stationary surface front and moist airmass on June 18, 2024.
Residents with properties in FEMA Zone X and Zone X Unshaded should pay the most attention to this risk. Federal flood insurance data shows nine claims in Zone X with an average payout of $11,961 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches, alongside six claims in Zone X Unshaded with an average payout of $5,549 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches.
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 2 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 1994, with 3 claims and $1,314 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 Cook County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Minnesota flood stories →
10 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 16, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 22, 2022 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 14, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 16, 2009 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 6, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Winds, And Flooding | Jul 4, 1999 |
| Drought | Jun 17, 1976 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
21 since 1996: 17 flash floods, 3 river or area floods and 1 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 23, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 13, 2022 | — |
| Flood | May 12, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 12, 2022 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Dec 29, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 3, 2017 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 23, 2025. Severe storms moved across northeastern Minnesota the morning of the 23rd ahead of a cold front. Storms began in Cass County where they produced tree damage and a measured gust of 64 mph in Walker. As they moved to the northeast, they lost their strength, but became heavy rain producers which led to some minor flooding in the city of Ely during the late morning hours.
Flash Flood · Aug 9, 2025. Another complex of thunderstorms developed the night of the 8th into the 9th across the Northern Plains and pushed eastward across the Northland during the morning hours. This round was not as intense as the round the previous morning, but did still produce some damaging winds and isolated flash flooding in parts of the Arrowhead as it moved through.
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 · May 13, 2022. A low pressure system moved northward from the Central Plains to the Northern Plains on May 12th and lifted a warm front across the Northland bringing two rounds of storms to the region. The first round during the afternoon hours were prolific hail producing storms with the largest hail stones being ping pong ball sized. Another round of storms arrived during the early evening hours and contained strong winds that…
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 Cook 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.