162 flood insurance claims·$3.3M paid·9 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 Wabasha 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 along the Mississippi and other regional river basins dominates the flood profile of Wabasha County, supported by 62 recorded flood events compared to 19 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Recent impacts are demonstrated by events in June and July 2024, when above-normal monthly rainfall combined with multi-day totals exceeding 7 inches caused the Mississippi River and other basins to enter flood stage, with high water persisting into July and reaching minor to moderate flood stages near Wabasha and Lake City.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that properties situated in designated Special Flood Hazard Areas bear the heaviest burden, led by Zone A with 113 claims averaging $28,928 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Residents and property owners in Zone X also face risk, accounting for 30 claims with an average payout of $20,052 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches, while smaller numbers of claims occurred in shaded Zone X, unknown zones, and unshaded Zone X. Consequently, homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties near the Mississippi River and other mapped riverine flood zones.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
7% of Wabasha County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
121 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 6 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 2010, with 36 claims and $2.3M 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.
33 NOAA storm reports from Wabasha County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Minnesota flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 9 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 16, 2024 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 11, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 22, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 18, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Mar 23, 2001 |
| Severe Storms, Straight Line Winds, And Tornadoes | May 15, 1998 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
81 since 1996: 19 flash floods and 62 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 27, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 21, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 16, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Apr 14, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 6, 2021 | $2,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2024. On the evening of July 31st, a cluster of severe storms brought large hail, wind damage and heavy rainfall to portions of southeast Minnesota. In some areas, heavy rainfall totals led to flooding of various roads and low-lying areas in residential communities.
Flood · Jun 27, 2024. Well above average rainfall throughout June in conjunction with late-month heavy rainfall contributed to additional rises into flood stage along the Mississippi River. The river gauge at Lake City reached minor flood stage before the end of the month and remained in flood stage into July.
Flood · Jun 21, 2024. Above normal rainfall over the course of June, combined with a robust rainfall event between June 20th and 22nd, led to widespread river flooding across portions of southeast Minnesota. Rainfall amounts upwards of 7 inches between the 20th and 22nd allowed the Mississippi River, Cedar River and many other river basins in southeast Minnesota to enter flood stage towards the end of June. Flooding along the Mississip…
Flood · Jul 1, 2024. Heavy rainfall throughout June led to many locations along the Mississippi River in Southeast Minnesota to enter flood stage which persisted into July. During the first week of July many points along the Mississippi River south of Wabasha observed their maximum river stage in minor to moderate flooding. As relatively drier conditions took hold over the first half of July, river stages fell below flood stage into t…
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 Wabasha 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.