16 flood insurance claims·$137,019 paid·4 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 Bayfield 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 from summer thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Bayfield County. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 33 flash flood events resulting in one death, alongside 5 general flood events resulting in one death and 2 lakeshore flood events. Recent events illustrate these hazards, including widespread flash flooding on June 18 and 19, 2024, caused by a stationary surface front and an anomalously moist airmass that prompted life-threatening flash flood warnings across the Bayfield Peninsula. Additionally, a flood event occurred in April 2023 following record-breaking winter snowfall that reached about 200% of normal, where temperatures 10 to 20 degrees above normal combined with a late-season storm to cause rapid snowmelt and fast rises on area waterways.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks affect properties both inside and outside mapped high-risk areas. Zone A properties experienced 8 claims with an average payout of $28,033 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X properties experienced 7 claims with an average payout of $17,509 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should note that residents in Zone A face the highest average water depths and payouts, while properties in Zone X also incur flood claims and property damage.
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 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 2016, with 5 claims and $72,007 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.
34 NOAA storm reports from Bayfield County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
11 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 4 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 |
| Flood-07/20/99 | Jul 4, 1999 |
| Drought | Jun 17, 1976 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
40 since 1996: 33 flash floods, 5 river or area floods and 2 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2024 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2024 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2024 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Apr 11, 2023 | $16,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2020 | — |
| Lakeshore Flood | Oct 21, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 27, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 19, 2024. On Tuesday, June 18, 2024, a stationary surface front, in conjunction with an anomalously moist airmass over the Northland, resulting in widespread flash flooding. NWS Duluth issued seven Flash Flood Warnings (across much of NE MN and the Bayfield Peninsula), three of which were upgraded to include a considerable tag for life threatening flash flooding. Additionally, severe thunderstorms occurred ahead of the heav…
Flash Flood · Jun 18, 2024. On Tuesday, June 18, 2024, a stationary surface front, in conjunction with an anomalously moist airmass over the Northland, resulting in widespread flash flooding. NWS Duluth issued seven Flash Flood Warnings (across much of NE MN and the Bayfield Peninsula), three of which were upgraded to include a considerable tag for life threatening flash flooding. Additionally, severe thunderstorms occurred ahead of the heav…
Flash Flood · Jul 27, 2023. Warm and humid conditions developed across northeastern Minnesota on the 27th ahead of a frontal boundary that stalled out across the region. Storms were primarily hail producers across northeastern Minnesota but transitioned to more of a wind threat as they grew upscale across northwestern Wisconsin. Numerous reports of trees and powerlines downed were received across the area with some flash flooding occurring l…
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…
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 Bayfield 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.