53 flood insurance claims·$440,717 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 Green Lake 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.
21% of Green Lake County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
39 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 4 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 19 claims and $169,043 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.
9 NOAA storm reports from Green Lake County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
9 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Landslides | Aug 17, 2018 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 5, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 7, 2004 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Jun 7, 1993 |
| Drought | Jun 17, 1976 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Apr 27, 1973 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
14 since 1996: 3 flash floods and 11 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Mar 18, 2019 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Mar 14, 2019 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Apr 1, 2019 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Sep 5, 2018 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Sep 1, 2018 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Oct 1, 2018 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2008 | — |
| Flood | May 25, 2004 | $300,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Mar 18, 2019. A warm spell along with some rainfall led to the melting of 8-12 inches of snow on a frozen ground. Runoff led to long term river flooding on the Fox River of central WI.
Flood · Mar 14, 2019. Mild temperatures and some rainfall led to snow melt and excessive runoff on a frozen ground. Numerous rivers flooded including flooding in atypical areas due to ice jams. Evacuations were needed in some communities. The American Red Cross did respond in some cases to aid the flood victims.
Flood · Apr 1, 2019. Flooding from March continued into April although most rivers were declining during April.
Flood · Sep 5, 2018. River flooding was prevalent across southern WI during the month of September after receiving 12 to 20 inches of rain from August 16th to September 5th. Additional rains throughout the remainder of the month prolonged the flooding. Moderate to major flood stage was reached on the Baraboo and Fox Rivers of central WI, and the Rock River in Jefferson and Rock Counties. Flooding continued into early September on sect…
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 Green Lake 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.