29 flood insurance claims·$302,613 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 Buffalo 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 overflow along the Mississippi and flash flooding from heavy rains characterize the flood risk in Buffalo County, supported by 21 flash flood events and 18 flood events recorded over the last 30 years. Recent historical impacts include an April 2023 event where a rapid snowmelt combined with rain resulted in significant flooding along the Mississippi River, with sites climbing to their third to fifth highest crests on record and prompting a State of Emergency by the Governor of Wisconsin. Additionally, heavy rains from Tropical Depression Cristobal in June 2020 caused flash flooding in Fountain City, where water entered a home as levels reached as high as a door.
Property owners in Zone A should pay the closest attention to these risks, as this zone accounts for the highest claim volume with 24 claims averaging a payout of $10,962 and an average recorded water depth of 12 inches. While fewer claims originated from Zone X_UNSHADED (3 claims averaging $9,994 with an average depth of 34 inches) and Zone X (2 claims averaging $53,400 with an average depth of 3 inches), residents across all zones face documented exposure to both riverine flooding and localized flash events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
11% of Buffalo County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
27 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 17 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 2001, with 11 claims and $77,748 paid, the year of Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes.
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.
26 NOAA storm reports from Buffalo County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mud | Jul 19, 2017 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 22, 2010 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Flooding, Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Apr 10, 2001 |
| Severe Storms,straigh Line Winds, Tornadoes,rain,and Floodi | Jun 18, 1998 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Jun 7, 1993 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Sep 14, 1992 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Hail & Tornadoes | Jul 7, 1978 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
39 since 1996: 21 flash floods and 18 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 20, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Apr 16, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2020 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Mar 14, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Jun 18, 2018 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2018 | $2,000 |
| Flood | Sep 5, 2018 | $20,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 20, 2023. A deeper than average snow pack from northern Minnesota into northern Wisconsin underwent a rapid melt through much of April from unseasonably warm temperatures combined with multiple rain events. This resulted in increased water levels and significant flooding for the entire length of the local Mississippi River, with most sites climbing to their third to fifth highest crests on record. A significant mid-April ra…
Flood · Apr 16, 2023. A deeper than average snow pack from northern Minnesota into northern Wisconsin underwent a rapid melt through much of April from unseasonably warm temperatures combined with multiple rain events. This resulted in increased water levels and significant flooding for the entire length of the local Mississippi River, with most sites climbing to their third to fifth highest crests on record. A significant mid-April ra…
Flood · May 1, 2023. The combination of heavy rain and anomalously warm temperatures melting a deeper than average snowpack during April resulted in moderate to major flooding stages being reached at sites along the Upper Mississippi River in Wisconsin. Initial minor flood stage was reached in mid April with near record crests near the end of April. The flooding impacts resulted in a state of emergency being issued by the Governor of…
Flash Flood · Jun 9, 2020. Heavy rains from Tropical Depression Cristobal fell across western Wisconsin on June 9th. This heavy rain resulted in some flash flooding across portions of Buffalo, Trempealeau and Taylor Counties. In Fountain City (Buffalo County), water entered into a home when the levels reached as high as a door. High water covered some city streets in Arcadia (Trempealeau County) and up to a foot of water covered roads in an…
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 Buffalo 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.