334 flood insurance claims·$5.2M 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 Kenosha 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 and flash flooding from storms dominate the flood profile of Kenosha County, supported by 41 general flood events, 22 flash flood events, and 4 lakeshore flood events recorded over the last 30 years. Recent impacts include a flash flood event on July 15, 2024, driven by thunderstorms along a cold front, and minor river flooding along the Fox River near New Munster on March 1, 2023, following heavy rain on melting snowpack and frozen ground.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, indicating risk extends beyond primary floodways. Zone A accounts for the highest volume with 234 claims averaging a payout of $21,302 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X properties recorded 64 claims with an average payout of $21,885 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches, while smaller numbers of claims occurred in unknown zones and shaded or unshaded X zones.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within designated Zone A riverine areas and Zone X locations, both of which demonstrate significant historical claim frequencies and average water depths exceeding half a foot during flood events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
6% of Kenosha County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
249 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 6 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 2017, with 62 claims and $2.3M 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.
37 NOAA storm reports from Kenosha County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Jan 10, 2020 |
| 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.
67 since 1996: 22 flash floods, 41 river or area floods and 4 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2024 | $2,000 |
| Flood | Apr 2, 2024 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Feb 28, 2023 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 14, 2023 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Mar 1, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Apr 30, 2020 | $2,000 |
| Flood | May 17, 2020 | $5,000 |
| Lakeshore Flood | Jan 11, 2020 | $3.3M |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 15, 2024. A complex of thunderstorms along a cold front moved across southern Wisconsin causing locally damaging winds, large hail and flash flooding. A tornado occurred near Evansville.
Flood · Apr 2, 2024. After a very wet March and an early April rain and snowstorm, river flooding ensued for the first couple weeks in April for southeast WI.
Flood · Feb 28, 2023. A few creeks and rivers reached minor flood stage over southeast WI after 1.5-2.0 inches of rain fell on a melting, shallow snowpack and frozen ground.
Flash Flood · Aug 14, 2023. A slow moving, strong low pressure area brought several hours of moderate to heavy rainfall to southern WI. Street flooding occurred in urban areas.
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 Kenosha 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.