32 flood insurance claims·$89,665 paid·3 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 Adams County, Wisconsin. 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 flooding and flash flooding from summer thunderstorms dominate Adams County, supported by NOAA records showing 14 flood events and 7 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Heavy rainfall during June and July led to events such as the Lemonwier River at New Lisbon rising into flood stage during the first two weeks of July 2024. Additionally, a slow-moving cluster of thunderstorms on August 1, 2024, brought heavy rainfall across Adams County that resulted in localized roadway flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate historical claims across multiple zones. Properties in Zone X recorded 21 claims with an average payout of $2,844 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Properties in Zone A recorded 10 claims with an average payout of $8,687 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. One claim was recorded in Zone UNKNOWN, with an average payout of $572 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties near rivers and those situated in designated flood zones, as both Zone A and Zone X have experienced documented claims and water accumulations.
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 2020, with 9 claims and $18,327 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.
14 NOAA storm reports from Adams County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
12 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Landslides | Aug 17, 2018 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Sep 21, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 5, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 7, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 21, 2002 |
| Flooding, Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Apr 10, 2001 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 26, 2000 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
21 since 1996: 7 flash floods and 14 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 15, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jul 3, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 1, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 24, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Aug 28, 2020 | $4,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 28, 2020 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Apr 18, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Mar 14, 2019 | $750,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 15, 2024. Rounds of thunderstorms during the middle of July led to increased runoff across portions of western Wisconsin. As a result, several river basins rose into flood stage with the passage of these storms. Most notably, the Kickapoo River at Ontario entered major flood stage with a river stage of just under 20 feet.
Flood · Jul 3, 2024. Above normal rainfall throughout June in addition to locally heavy rainfall at the start of July allowed the Grant River at Burton and Lemonwier River at New Lisbon to rise into flood stage during the first two weeks of July.
Flash Flood · Aug 1, 2024. During the afternoon and evening hours on August 1st, a slow moving cluster of thunderstorms brought heavy rainfall across Adams County. This resulted in localized roadway flooding.
Flood · Jun 24, 2021. An area of storms moved across portions of western Wisconsin during the late afternoon and evening of June 24th. These storms produced some minor roof damage to a barn southeast of Riplinger (Clark County). A few trees were blown down near West Salem (La Crosse County). Some of these storms also dropped hail and the largest reported hail was half dollar sized near Willard (Clark County).
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 Adams 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.