24 flood insurance claims·$61,949 paid·2 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 Calumet 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 history of Calumet County, Wisconsin, which recorded 11 flash flood events and 5 general flood events over the last 30 years according to the NOAA Storm Events Database.
Intense summer rainfall events have repeatedly caused localized flash flooding in the region, such as slow-moving thunderstorms that dropped 2 to 5 inches of rain overnight in August 2021, and a mesoscale convective vortex that brought heavy rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches with locally higher amounts exceeding 5 inches in July 2025, covering streets in flowing water and forcing multiple road closures.
Federal flood insurance data indicates that properties located within FEMA Zone A have experienced the highest frequency of flood insurance claims, recording 14 claims with an average payout of $7,617 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties within Zone A, as well as properties in Zone X_UNSHADED, which recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $5,531 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches.
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 1 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 1993, with 9 claims and $18,308 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes & 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.
10 NOAA storm reports from Calumet County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
11 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jul 20, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 5, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 7, 2004 |
| Flooding, Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Apr 10, 2001 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Jun 7, 1993 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Jun 22, 1990 |
| Drought | Jun 17, 1976 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
16 since 1996: 11 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 28, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Mar 14, 2019 | $55,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 11, 2019 | $30,000 |
| Flood | Aug 28, 2018 | — |
| Flood | May 3, 2018 | $300,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 16, 2025. Showers and thunderstorms tracked through central and east-central Wisconsin during the afternoon and evening on Wednesday (7/16) as a mesoscale convective vortex tracked along a cold front through southern Wisconsin. This system brought a brief period of heavy rainfall with rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches and locally higher amounts exceeding 5 inches across the area. The heavy rain in a short period caused fl…
Flash Flood · Jul 13, 2024. Thunderstorms developed during the afternoon on Saturday (7/13) as the area reached its convective temperature. These initial storms produced large hail up to 3 inches, gusty winds, and heavy rainfall across central Wisconsin. Flash Flooding was reported in Wausau as 2 to 3 inches of rain fell during the afternoon. ||A line of severe thunderstorms, associated with a mesoscale convective vortex, then tracked thro…
Flash Flood · Jul 5, 2024. An area of low pressure slowly tracked east across east-central Wisconsin to central Lake Michigan through the day on Friday (7/5). Showers and thunderstorms developed shortly after daybreak and then became more concentrated during the mid-morning into the early afternoon. A cluster of showers and thunderstorms became slow moving over Waupaca County, resulting in 4 to 6 inches of rain with the city of Manawa measu…
Flash Flood · Aug 28, 2021. Another round of slow moving thunderstorms brought heavy rain to portions of central and east-central Wisconsin for the second day in a row during the overnight hours. Some flash flooding was noted across portions of east-central Wisconsin as 2 to 5 inches of rain fell along with some sub-severe hail.
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 Calumet 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.