3 flood insurance claims·$33,259 paid·1 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 Forest 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.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 12 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 1 claims and $25,048 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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Forest County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
7 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jul 18, 2019 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 26, 2000 |
| Winds, Hail & Rain | Aug 5, 1977 |
| Drought | Jun 17, 1976 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
4 since 1996: 3 flash floods and 1 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 11, 2002 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2000 | $153,550 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 1999 | — |
| Flood | Apr 19, 1996 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 11, 2002. Significant rainfall and snow melt resulted in the flooding of roads and low lying areas across north-central Wisconsin.
Flash Flood · Jul 8, 2000. A nearly stationary front across Wisconsin combined with upper air support and abundant moisture to produce a prolonged period of thunderstorms. A few of the storms contained high winds and hail but flooding from heavy rainfall caused the majority of the problems.The heaviest rainfall occurred in an area that extended from southern Vilas county southeast into Manitowoc county. Rainfall totals in this area ranged…
Flash Flood · Jul 15, 1999. Rainfall of 5 to 8 inches in just a few hours caused significant flash flooding across Florence county and extreme northern Forest county. An estimated 50 to 75 miles of roads required repairs, including U.S. Highways 2 and 141 and state highways 70 and 101. A total of 49 homes and 2 businesses suffered some water damage. The damage was mainly confined to basements with minimal first floor inundation.
Flood · Apr 19, 1996. Heavy runoff from spring snow melt and recent rains resulted in widespread minor flooding across north central and far northeast Wisconsin. Numerous roads and culverts were washed out in Vilas, Oneida, Forest, Florence and Lincoln counties. The Wisconsin River at Merrill (Lincoln county) rose to a river stage of 12.94 feet on the 21st, nearly 2 feet above the flood stage of 11.00 feet. Street flooding was repor…
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 Forest 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.