29 flood insurance claims·$444,440 paid·3 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 Jackson 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 flooding and flash flooding from storms dominate Jackson County, with NOAA Storm Events data recording 62 flood events and 13 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Recent occurrences include persistent heavy rain on July 3, 2025, which caused flash flooding along County Road F between Alma Center and Black River Falls. Additionally, rainfall combined with upstream snowmelt caused minor flooding on the Black River at Black River Falls on March 31, 2025, and again following heavy rain on April 21, 2025.
Federal Insurance Administration records show claims spanning multiple zones, including Zone A with 21 claims averaging $21,165 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Zone X accounts for 5 claims averaging $21,739 with an average recorded water depth of 0 inches, Zone X_UNSHADED has 2 claims averaging $41,149 with an average water depth of 0 inches, and Zone X_SHADED has 1 claim averaging $0 with an average water depth of 0 inches. Properties located near rivers and within designated Special Flood Hazard Areas, such as Zone A, should pay the most attention to flood risk.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
12% of Jackson County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
24 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 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 2010, with 11 claims and $306,139 paid, the year of Severe Storms 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.
44 NOAA storm reports from Jackson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
13 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mud | Jul 19, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Sep 21, 2016 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 22, 2010 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 7, 2004 |
| Flooding, Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Apr 10, 2001 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 26, 2000 |
| Severe Storms,straigh Line Winds, Tornadoes,rain,and Floodi | Jun 18, 1998 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
75 since 1996: 13 flash floods and 62 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Mar 31, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 21, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Jun 22, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Oct 25, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Oct 24, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Apr 20, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Apr 19, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Mar 31, 2025. The combination of recent rainfall and upstream snowmelt towards the end of March contributed to a brief instance of minor flooding on the Black River at Black River Falls on March 31st. The river entered flood stage early in the morning on March 31st and quickly returned below flood stage later that afternoon.
Flood · Apr 21, 2025. The Black River at Black River Falls entered minor flood stage after a period of heavy rain during the afternoon on April 21st and fell below flood stage during the morning hours the next day.
Flash Flood · Jul 4, 2025. During the overnight hours on July 3rd, a cluster of slow moving and strong storms pushed through west-central Wisconsin. Strong to severe wind gusts resulted in some sporadic instances of tree damage in Jackson County. Additionally, the persistent heavy rain resulted in flash flooding between Alma Center and Black River Falls along County Road F.
Flood · Jun 22, 2024. Above normal rainfall over the course of June in combination with a robust rainfall event between June 20th and 22nd led to widespread river flooding across portions of western Wisconsin. Rainfall amounts upwards of 5 inches between the 20th and 22nd allowed the Mississippi River and many other river basins in western Wisconsin to enter flood stage towards the end of June. Flooding along the Mississippi River main…
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 Jackson 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.