333 flood insurance claims·$8.3M 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 Dane 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 Dane County, Wisconsin, accounting for 47 events and 1 death over the last 30 years, alongside 35 standard flood events. Severe weather patterns frequently drive these conditions, such as the slow-moving cold fronts and training thunderstorms that caused street flooding in Madison in June 2024, and the severe thunderstorm lines along a warm and cold front passage that brought additional street flooding to Madison in May 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks extend beyond high-risk areas. Properties in Zone A experienced 148 claims with an average payout of $36,793 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Meanwhile, properties designated as Zone X recorded 131 claims with an average payout of $42,627 and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 36 claims with an average payout of $19,168 and an average water depth of 5 inches, while Zone X_SHADED saw 7 claims averaging $3,730 with an average water depth of 12 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within both traditional high-risk Zone A and moderate-to-low risk Zone X areas, as both zones have accumulated significant claim histories and notable recorded water depths.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
23% of Dane County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
191 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 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 2018, with 85 claims and $5.0M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides.
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.
47 NOAA storm reports from Dane County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Landslides | Aug 17, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 5, 2008 |
| Record Snow And Near Record Snow | Feb 5, 2008 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 18, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 7, 2004 |
| Snow | Dec 11, 2000 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
82 since 1996: 47 flash floods and 35 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 23, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2024 | $30,000 |
| Flood | May 21, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2024 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2024 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 2023 | $25,000 |
| Flood | Jun 15, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Jun 29, 2020 | $1,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 23, 2025. A couple strong to severe lines of thunderstorms moved across southern WI along a stationary front. Damaging winds and flooding occurred.
Flash Flood · Jun 22, 2024. Severe thunderstorms developed across western Wisconsin and moved eastward across southern Wisconsin through the afternoon and evening hours on June 22nd due to passing low pressure and its approaching cold front. There were supercell thunderstorms along with bowing segments along this line which lead to multiple areas of damage. Two strong tornadoes occurred, which were rated EF-2 near Argyle and through the so…
Flood · May 21, 2024. Lines and clusters of severe thunderstorms moved across southern WI from the late morning through the late evening as the passage of a warm front was quickly followed by a cold front. Straight-line winds accounted for fairly widespread tree limb damage especially over south central WI. Several reports of large hail were received while street flooding was reported in Madison. A couple brief EF1 tornadoes also occur…
Flash Flood · Jun 19, 2024. Scattered to numerous thunderstorms developed ahead of a slow moving cold front. The training of thunderstorms over Madison led to the flash flooding of streets. Another thunderstorm produced tree damage in southwest Dodge 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 Dane 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.