146 flood insurance claims·$1.1M paid·12 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 Traverse 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.
River overflow and standard flooding dominate the flood profile of Traverse County, Minnesota, accounting for 26 of the 30 recorded flood events in the NOAA Storm Events Database over the last 30 years, alongside two flash flood events.
Recent history illustrates this risk. In April 2023, the region experienced severe overland flooding and the submersion of county and township roads caused by rapid snowmelt over frozen soils, with snow depths reaching 15 to 32 inches in areas including Wheaton and triggering extensive sandbagging operations along the Mustinka River and its tributaries.
Properties located within FEMA flood zones require the closest attention, particularly those in Zone A, which accounts for the highest volume of National Flood Insurance Program claims with 87 claims averaging $7,604 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Additionally, property owners in Zone X_UNSHADED and Zone X should note their risk, having recorded 31 and 17 claims respectively, with average payouts exceeding $11,000 and average water depths of 7 inches and 2 inches.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
26% of Traverse County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
118 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 7 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 1997, with 45 claims and $298,088 paid, the year of Severe Winter Storms and Severe Flooding, High Winds,severe Storms.
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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Traverse County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Minnesota flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 12 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 Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 20, 2013 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 16, 2011 |
| Flooding | Mar 1, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 16, 2009 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Nov 27, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
28 since 1996: 2 flash floods and 26 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 16, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Apr 14, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Apr 13, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Mar 19, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Mar 27, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Mar 26, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Oct 22, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Apr 18, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 16, 2023. The Mustinka River and its tributaries experienced flooding due to the rapid snowmelt in western Minnesota caused by frozen soils and a quick thaw in the second week of April. The area, including Wheaton, saw a significant snow depth of 32 inches on April 6th. As a result, a large amount of snowmelt flowed into the waterways, leading to numerous county and township roads being submerged. To safeguard properties, m…
Flood · Apr 14, 2023. The Mustinka River and its tributaries experienced flooding due to the rapid snowmelt in western Minnesota caused by frozen soils and a quick thaw in the second week of April. The area, including Wheaton, saw a significant snow depth of 32 inches on April 6th. As a result, a large amount of snowmelt flowed into the waterways, leading to numerous county and township roads being submerged. To safeguard properties, m…
Flood · Apr 14, 2023. During early April, an unprecedented snow depth of 15 to 20 inches was recorded. However, a few weeks later, warmer temperatures triggered a rapid snowmelt that occurred over a span of four to five days in mid-April. This quick thaw led to extensive overland flooding in Traverse and Big Stone Counties, resulting in severe impacts to public and personal infrastructure. To protect their properties, residents took pr…
Flood · Apr 13, 2023. The Mustinka River and its tributaries experienced flooding due to the rapid snowmelt in western Minnesota caused by frozen soils and a quick thaw in the second week of April. The area, including Wheaton, saw a significant snow depth of 32 inches on April 6th. As a result, a large amount of snowmelt flowed into the waterways, leading to numerous county and township roads being submerged. To safeguard properties, m…
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 Traverse 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.