61 flood insurance claims·$562,598 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 Lafayette 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 summer thunderstorms dominate the flood risk in Lafayette County, with NOAA records documenting 28 floods and 20 flash flood events over the last thirty years. These hazards are frequently driven by slow-moving frontal systems and heavy rainfall, such as the severe storms and flooding that occurred in July 2025, and the heavy rainfall that pushed already high river levels over their banks in June 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program records show that flood losses affect multiple zones differently across the area. Zone A properties have experienced the highest volume of impacts with 53 claims, resulting in an average payout of $10,879 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Meanwhile, shaded Zone X properties have recorded 5 claims with an average payout of $26,150 and an average water depth of 2 inches, and unshaded Zone X properties have recorded 3 claims averaging $1,824 with an average water depth of 22 inches.
Properties located within designated Special Flood Hazard Areas, particularly Zone A, should pay the most attention to this risk due to the high frequency of recorded claims.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
13% of Lafayette County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
61 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 1993, with 28 claims and $146,399 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes & 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.
29 NOAA storm reports from Lafayette County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
14 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mud | Jul 19, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 5, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 7, 2004 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 26, 2000 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Jun 7, 1993 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Jun 22, 1990 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
48 since 1996: 20 flash floods and 28 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 11, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Jun 22, 2024 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2024 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Sep 14, 2019 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Mar 13, 2019 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Mar 13, 2019 | $3,000 |
| Flood | Mar 13, 2019 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 12, 2019 | $5,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 11, 2025. A line of strong to severe thunderstorms tracked along a stationary front over far southern WI. Significant damaging wind gusts and flooding occurred.
Flood · Jun 22, 2024. Already high river levels, and additional heavy rainfall the evening of June 22nd, led to more river flooding late in June into July over portions of southern WI.
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 · Sep 14, 2019. A strong squall line with torrential rainfall moved east along and north of warm front over southern WI. A quick 2.5-4.5 inches of rain resulted in the flash flooding of creeks, small rivers, and urban and rural roadways. Some trees were downed by straight-line winds. A 42 unit apartment building burned down in Waukesha after being struck by lightning.
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 Lafayette 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.