9 flood insurance claims·$52,516 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 Dunn 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 Dunn County, accounting for 15 out of 17 total recorded flood events over the last 30 years alongside 2 general floods. Severe weather events drive these conditions, such as the slow-moving thunderstorm complex in June 2020 that brought heavy rainfall following earlier wind damage near Tainter Lake and Colfax, and the localized flash flooding caused by torrential rainfall bands near Elk Mound in May 2016. Seasonal factors also contribute, including a severe spring snowmelt flood along the Eau Claire and Chippewa Rivers and their tributaries during March 2019, driven by above-average snowpack and subsequent spring warmth and rain.
National Flood Insurance Program records show varying impacts across different zones. Properties located in Zone A experienced 6 claims with an average payout of $21,396 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Zone X properties recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $9,725 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. An additional claim in an unknown zone recorded no payout and an average water depth of 0 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents with properties in Zone A should pay the closest attention to flood risk, given the higher average payouts and water depths associated with those locations.
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 2014, with 2 claims and $0 paid.
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.
8 NOAA storm reports from Dunn County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
13 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Sep 2, 2002 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 21, 2002 |
| 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 | Jul 24, 1980 |
| Drought | Jun 17, 1976 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
17 since 1996: 15 flash floods and 2 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 29, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Mar 15, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 31, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 6, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 2, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 11, 2010 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 14, 2009 | $250,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 29, 2020. During the evening of Sunday, June 28th, a complex of thunderstorms that developed across Iowa previously, moved slowly northward across southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin before stalling Monday morning. During the onset of the heavier rainfall, a few storms caused wind damage near Tainter Lake and Colfax, but most of the damage was minor with a few large tree limbs and power lines blown down. ||Deep moistur…
Flood · Mar 15, 2019. There were many factors that led to a severe Spring flood melt along the Eau Claire and Chippewa Rivers and several of their tributaries during the last two weeks of March. The first factor was above average snowpack for mid March. Additionally, the added effect of a cold late Winter kept this snowpack deeper into the early Spring. Once temperatures warmed, and snow began to melt, a few storms led to additional wa…
Flash Flood · May 31, 2016. A line of thunderstorms developed during the afternoon along a cold front that extended from west central Wisconsin, southeast into north central Iowa. By 3 PM CST, strong storms developed southeast of Elk Mound and moved northeast across Dunn and Chippewa counties of west central Wisconsin. Several bands of torrential rainfall led to localized flash flooding, plus a few storms caused damage in Elk Mound and Alber…
Flash Flood · Jul 6, 2015. The evening of Sunday, July 5th, a line of thunderstorms developed along a frontal boundary from west central to northeast Minnesota. By 2 to 3 am CST, numerous thunderstorms began to develop in east central Minnesota, ahead of the main line. As additional thunderstorms congealed with the main line, and deep moisture continued to surge toward western Wisconsin, the added effect of high precipitable water values r…
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 Dunn 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.