20 flood insurance claims·$134,510 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 Kewaunee 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.
General riverine and inland flooding dominates the flood history of Kewaunee County, complemented by occasional lakeshore flooding. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 17 general flood events and 2 lakeshore flood events. Record high lake levels on Lake Michigan drove ongoing isolated flooding near the lake in early 2020, including events in March and May of that year. A strong low pressure system combined with record high lake levels and gusty southeast winds also produced lakeshore flooding along Lake Michigan in January 2020.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, with the highest concentration in Zone A, which logged 12 claims averaging $14,366 per payout and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Zone X shaded recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $7,792 and an average recorded water depth of 52 inches. Unshaded Zone X and unknown zones recorded a combined 5 claims with average payouts of $0 to $2,000 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Coastal property owners and residents located within Zone A and Zone X shaded should pay the closest attention to flood risks in the county.
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 36 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 2019, with 6 claims and $24,021 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, 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.
3 NOAA storm reports from Kewaunee County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
7 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Snow | Dec 11, 2000 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Jun 22, 1990 |
| Drought | Jun 17, 1976 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Apr 27, 1973 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
19 since 1996: 17 river or area floods and 2 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore Flood | Jan 18, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Sep 1, 2020 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Mar 1, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Jan 1, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Feb 1, 2020 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Lakeshore Flood · Jan 18, 2020. A strong low pressure system tracked from the central Plains through the western Great Lakes region, bringing 8 to 12 inches to portions of central and northeast Wisconsin. The snow fell in two rounds, the first Friday evening with gusty southeast winds and the second early Saturday morning.||The strong southeast winds and record high lake levels also caused some flooding along Lake Michigan Saturday morning.||Som…
Flood · Sep 1, 2020. Elevated lake levels on Lake Michigan caused some isolated flooded areas near the lake on an ongoing basis.
Flood · May 1, 2020. Record high lake levels on Lake Michigan caused some isolated flooded areas near the lake on an ongoing basis.
Flood · Mar 1, 2020. Record high lake levels on Lake Michigan caused some isolated flooded areas near the lake on an ongoing basis.
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 Kewaunee 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.