60 flood insurance claims·$1.4M paid·7 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 Pine 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 profile of Pine County, MN, accounting for 19 out of 23 total recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 4 general flood events.
Recent history illustrates this pattern. In August 2018, storms driven by a moving cold front produced street flooding in the Sandstone area. Torrential overnight rainfall from subsequent storm systems led to flash flooding across the region, including an event on September 30, 2019, where saturated soils and repeated downpours forced road closures due to water over roadways.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, indicating risk extends beyond mapped high-risk areas. Zone X accounts for 29 claims with an average payout of $29,277 and an average recorded water depth of 22 inches, while Zone A records 26 claims with an average payout of $36,552 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Homeowners and real estate professionals in both designated flood zones and moderate-to-low risk Zone X areas should pay close attention to these localized flash flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
13% of Pine County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
30 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 15 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 2016, with 22 claims and $653,444 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.
10 NOAA storm reports from Pine County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Minnesota flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 11, 2023 |
| 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 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jul 1, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Mar 23, 2001 |
| Mn - Carlos Edge Fire Complex - 10/19/2000 | Oct 19, 2000 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
23 since 1996: 19 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 30, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 27, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Oct 3, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 11, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2012 | — |
| Flood | Jun 20, 2012 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 30, 2019. A warm front set up over the region during the early morning hours of the 30th. Torrential rainfall was reported overnight leading to saturated soils in the area. Additional showers and thunderstorms moved over these same areas during the late morning and early afternoon hours and led to isolated areas of flash flooding where water over the roadway led to closed roads.
Flash Flood · Aug 27, 2018. A warm front lifted through Wisconsin the night of the 26th and into the morning of the 27th, leaving a moist and unstable airmass across the region. A cold front in eastern Minnesota pushing east during the afternoon hours provided the lift to initiate storms. The storms caused street flooding and wind damage in the Sandstone area.
Flash Flood · May 24, 2018. A warm front and a low level jet combined to produce persistent storms the night of the 24th. Radar estimates of 3-5.5 over parts of east-central Minnesota led to isolated flash flooding.
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.
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 Pine 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.