11 flood insurance claims·$489,259 paid·5 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 Ashland 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.
Flash flooding and river flooding from heavy rainfall and snowmelt dominate the flood history of Ashland County, Wisconsin. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 15 flash flood events resulting in 1 death, 10 general flood events resulting in 1 death, and 2 lakeshore flood events.
Severe weather events illustrate these local hazards. In April 2023, record-breaking winter snowfall combined with temperatures 10 to 20 degrees above normal and a late-season storm to cause rapid snowmelt and fast-rising waterways. In June 2018, training thunderstorms dropped 6 to 10 inches of rain over three days across the region, saturating soils and causing widespread flooding. Additionally, an intense low-pressure system in October 2019 generated east-to-northeast winds with peak speeds topping 70 miles per hour and destructive waves along Lake Superior.
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that property owners in Zone A face the highest risk, accounting for 9 claims with an average payout of $68,233 and an average recorded water depth of 24 inches. Properties located in Zone X unshaded face lower risk, registering 2 claims with an average payout of $11,627 and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. Residents near rivers, streams, and lake shores should pay the closest attention to these flood hazards.
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 22 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 3 claims and $188,830 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.
17 NOAA storm reports from Ashland County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
14 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 15, 2018 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 11, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Jun 20, 2013 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 19, 2012 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Flooding, Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Apr 10, 2001 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 26, 2000 |
| Flood-07/20/99 | Jul 4, 1999 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
27 since 1996: 15 flash floods, 10 river or area floods and 2 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 11, 2023 | — |
| Lakeshore Flood | Oct 21, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 27, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Jun 17, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 17, 2018 | — · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | Jun 16, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 15, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 11, 2023. Record breaking snowfall for the 2022-2023 winter season was received across all of northwest Wisconsin which was about 200% of normal snowfall. Much of this snowpack remained on the ground into April. Warm temperatures 10 to 20 degrees above normal during the second week of the month led to rapid snowmelt across the region with fast rises on area waterways. This above normal warmth was quickly followed by a late…
Lakeshore Flood · Oct 21, 2019. An intense area of low pressure approached the region through the day on Monday, October 21st, producing increasingly strong east to northeast winds. The winds increased through the day, and were especially strong coming off Lake Superior into the western South Shore area. Peak wind speeds topped 70 MPH at some of the bridges and waves caused damage along many of the lake shore areas.
Flash Flood · Jul 4, 2019. A slow moving area of low pressure moved from central Minnesota the morning of the 4th to northeastern Wisconsin by the morning of the 5th. Slow moving showers and thunderstorms develop near this low across northwest Wisconsin and dropped 1 to 3 inches of rainfall in a span of a few hours leading to isolated areas of flash flooding.
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 pushed east during the afternoon to provide the lift to initiate storms. The storms produced very heavy rain that led to some flooding and also had some damaging winds.
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 Ashland 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.