235 flood insurance claims·$4.5M paid·7 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 Crawford 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 River and frequent general floods define the primary flood hazards in Crawford County, Wisconsin, supplemented by recurring summer flash floods. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 86 general floods resulting in 1 death, alongside 40 flash flood events. Recent events illustrate this pattern, including heavy June rainfall that caused locations along the Mississippi River to enter minor to moderate flood stage persisting into July 2024, as well as late-June rises that pushed the river gauge at Lynxville into minor flood stage. Flash flooding also struck the area during evening thunderstorms on June 22, 2024.
Federal Emergency Management Agency records show that flood insurance claims are heavily concentrated in designated high-risk areas, with Zone A recording 197 claims averaging $24,150 per payout and an average recorded water depth of 11 inches. Properties located in Zone UNKNOWN accounted for 21 claims with an average payout of $11,378 and an average water depth of 13 inches. Zone X properties recorded 10 claims averaging $18,311 with an average water depth of 20 inches, while smaller numbers of claims occurred in shaded and unshaded Zone X areas. Homeowners situated near rivers and streams, as well as property owners in Zone A and unmapped or unknown zones, should pay the closest attention to flood risks given the concentration of historical claims and river flood events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
3% of Crawford County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
204 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 11 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 2008, with 49 claims and $1.3M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, 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.
79 NOAA storm reports from Crawford County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Landslides | Aug 17, 2018 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mud | Jul 19, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Sep 21, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Jun 20, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 5, 2008 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 18, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 7, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
126 since 1996: 40 flash floods and 86 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2024 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2024 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2024 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2024 | $15,000 |
| Flood | Apr 19, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Apr 17, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 26, 2024. Well above average rainfall throughout June in conjunction with late-month heavy rainfall contributed to additional rises into flood stage along the Mississippi River. The river gauge at Lynxville reached minor flood stage before the end of the month and observed rising river levels into July.
Flash Flood · Jun 22, 2024. During the evening on June 22nd, thunderstorms moved southeast into portions of southwestern Wisconsin with flooding occurring in Crawford and Vernon Counties. A weak EF-0 tornado also occurred in Grant County.
Flood · Jul 1, 2024. Heavy rainfall throughout June led to many locations along the Mississippi River in Western Wisconsin to enter flood stage which persisted into July. During the first week of July many points along the Mississippi River observed their maximum river stage in minor to moderate flooding. As relatively drier conditions took hold over the first half of July, river stages fell below flood stage into the middle of the mo…
Flood · Apr 19, 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…
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 Crawford 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.