35 flood insurance claims·$603,486 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 Clark 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.
Standard riverine flooding and flash flooding from summer thunderstorms shape the flood risk in Clark County, Wisconsin, supported by 24 recorded flood events resulting in 3 deaths and 13 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Recent impacts include a rapid spring snowmelt and rainfall event in April 2023 that caused significant rises along the Black River, as well as heavy rainfall of 3 to 5 inches that triggered flash flooding over county roads near Chili and Thorp in July 2022.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate claims across multiple zones, with Zone A experiencing 13 claims averaging a $27,016 payout and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Properties categorized under Zone UNKNOWN recorded 11 claims with an average payout of $6,191 and an average water depth of 2 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X properties logged 7 claims averaging $37,317 with an average water depth of 1 inch, and Zone X_SHADED recorded 4 claims averaging $35,236 with an average water depth of 3 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated near rivers affected by spring snowmelt and heavy runoff, as well as those located in designated Zone A and unmapped or shaded zones where historical claims and recorded water depths indicate ongoing vulnerability.
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 1993, with 5 claims and $106,161 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.
26 NOAA storm reports from Clark County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jul 18, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 15, 2018 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Sep 21, 2016 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 22, 2010 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 7, 2004 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Sep 2, 2002 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 21, 2002 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
37 since 1996: 13 flash floods and 24 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 20, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Apr 1, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2022 | $8,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2020 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Jul 14, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Apr 17, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Mar 14, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 7, 2024. During the evening hours on July 7th a slow moving thunderstorm moved over portions of northwestern Clark County. These storms produced heavy rainfall totals which resulted in some flooding along County Road O near Greenwood. Additionally, other storms produced small hail in Taylor County.
Flood · Apr 20, 2023. A strong spring storm affected much of Wisconsin in the middle of April, providing upwards of 20 of snow in north-central Wisconsin on an already deeper than average snowpack. Subsequent anomalously warm temperatures resulted in a rapid melt of this deep snowpack and rapid rises along the Black River in Central Wisconsin. The highest above flood stage occurred at Black River Falls reaching 6.42 ft above flood stag…
Flood · Apr 1, 2023. A strong spring storm at the end of March provided over 1 of rainfall in central to northern Wisconsin on a deeper than average snowpack. The rapid runoff resulted in sites along the Black River in central Wisconsin to quickly rise to flood stage for the beginning of April. Minor to moderate flooding was realized at most sites with the highest height recorded at Black River Falls, with 4.17 ft over flood stage.
Flash Flood · Jul 15, 2022. Several rounds of storms with heavy rain moved across north-central Wisconsin during the early morning of July 15th. Radar estimates indicate a band of 3 to 5 inches of rain fell from northwest Clark County to the southeast part of the county. This heavy rain caused water to go over a few county roads near Chili (Clark County) and Thorp (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 Clark 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.