Enter any address in Wadena County, Minnesota to see its FEMA flood zone
9 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Wadena County, Minnesota has recorded 14 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 10 flash floods and 4 river or area floods. The county has received 15 federal disaster declarations, 5 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1965–2022)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 29, 2022 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Flood | Jun 11, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Tornado | Jun 17, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Mar 16, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Hurricane | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Flooding, High Winds,severe Storms | Flood | Mar 21, 1997 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Severe Storm | Jan 3, 1997 |
| Severe Thunderstorms, Winds, Flooding, Tornadoes, And Heat | Severe Storm | Jul 9, 1995 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 17, 2018 | 10.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 17, 2018 | 5.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 11, 2016 | 2.00K |
| Flood | Jul 11, 2014 | 50.00K |
| Flood | Sep 4, 2014 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 27, 2012 | 5.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2011 | 3.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2010 | 10.00K |
| Flood | Mar 25, 2009 | 5.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2009 | 2.00K |
Flash Flood — Jun 17, 2018
During the evening of June 16th, a weak frontal boundary stretched north-northeast from Watertown in South Dakota, up through Wadena and International Falls in Minnesota. Along the boundary in west central Minnesota, surface dew points held in the lower 70s with precipitable water values around 1.50 inches. Thunderstorms flared up during the evening and produced a few damaging wind gusts in add...
Flash Flood — Jul 11, 2016
By the early evening of July 11th, surface low pressure was located over northeast South Dakota, with a warm front extending out to the east into Minnesota. Slow moving thunderstorms formed north of the warm front and dropped large amounts of rain. Other thunderstorms formed later, along a line from Jamestown to Devils Lake to Rock Lake. One storm along this line produced strong winds from Lang...
Flood — Jul 11, 2014
Persistent thunderstorms formed over west central Minnesota on the evening of the 11th, fed by strong moisture transport from the south-southwest. The heaviest rain fell along the U. S. Highway 10 corridor, from Perham to New York Mills to Wadena. The most rain fell at Wadena, where eight inches was reported. This resulted in basement, street, and trailer park flooding.
Flood — Sep 4, 2014
By the early morning hours of the 4th, an area of surface low pressure had moved into northeast South Dakota, with a warm front extending out to the east. Surface dew point values north of the front ranged in the lower 60s while south of the front they topped out around 70. At 850 millibars, the low level jet pushed juicy air up into southeast North Dakota and west central Minnesota, with drier...
Flood — May 27, 2012
In the early morning hours of the 27th, an 850mb warm front was draped west to east across southeast North Dakota and west central Minnesota. A strong low level jet kept redeveloping bands of strong thunderstorms, which dropped heavy amounts of rain from Moorhead to Perham to Wadena. A wide swath of two to six inches of rain fell along this line, which resulted in water flowing over fields and ...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Wadena County, Minnesota:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Wadena County, Minnesota that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.