35 flood insurance claims·$481,123 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 Manitowoc 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 general floods dominate the historical event record in Manitowoc County, supplemented by frequent flash floods and lakeshore flooding events. Over a 30-year period, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 13 floods, 7 flash floods, and 4 lakeshore floods. Severe weather impacts are illustrated by a July 2021 flash flood that brought 2 to 5 inches of rain, resulting in street flooding and storm damage. Additionally, a March 2019 flood occurred when above-freezing temperatures and rain combined with rapidly melting snowpacks, causing overflow across streams, rivers, ditches, roads, and low-lying areas.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims spanning multiple zones, indicating that flood risk extends beyond standard high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for 18 claims with an average recorded water depth of 9 inches and an average payout of $10,750. Meanwhile, unshaded Zone X properties recorded 5 claims with a higher average payout of $68,672 and an average water depth of 4 inches, while shaded Zone X recorded 4 claims with an average water depth of 1 inch and an average payout of $425. Zone X as a whole recorded 6 claims averaging 1 inch of water depth and $12,707 in payouts, and unknown zones recorded 2 claims averaging 2 inches of water depth and $2,345 in payouts.
Property owners in Zone A, unshaded Zone X, and areas vulnerable to rapid snowmelt, heavy summer convective rainfall, and lakeshore weather systems should pay the closest attention to flood preparedness.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
33% of Manitowoc County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
27 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 7 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 1986, with 5 claims and $44,996 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.
11 NOAA storm reports from Manitowoc County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
8 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 5, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Snow | Dec 11, 2000 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Jun 22, 1990 |
| Severe Storms, Icing, Wind & Flooding | Mar 23, 1976 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Apr 27, 1973 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
24 since 1996: 7 flash floods, 13 river or area floods and 4 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2021 | $28,000 |
| Lakeshore Flood | Nov 27, 2019 | — |
| Lakeshore Flood | Oct 21, 2019 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Mar 15, 2019 | $170,000 |
| Lakeshore Flood | Dec 1, 2019 | — |
| Lakeshore Flood | Apr 13, 2018 | $50,000 |
| Flood | May 3, 2018 | $200,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 16, 2025. Showers and thunderstorms tracked through central and east-central Wisconsin during the afternoon and evening on Wednesday (7/16) as a mesoscale convective vortex tracked along a cold front through southern Wisconsin. This system brought a brief period of heavy rainfall with rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches and locally higher amounts exceeding 5 inches across the area. The heavy rain in a short period caused fl…
Flash Flood · Jul 14, 2021. Several rounds of thunderstorms developed across northeast Wisconsin during the afternoon and evening hours. The strongest storms produced hail up to ping pong size, damaging wind gusts, along with heavy rain and flash flooding. Portions of east-central Wisconsin received 2 to 5 inches of rain through the overnight hours. Lightning struck a hour in Kiel, causing a fire, as well as a pole in Green Bay, which dama…
Lakeshore Flood · Nov 27, 2019. A strengthening low pressure system developed over the central Plains and moved northeast to Lake Michigan, bringing 10 to 14 inches of heavy snow, and occasionally sleet, to northern and portions of central Wisconsin. The wet, heavy snow accumulating on trees and power lines, along with strong winds, caused widespread power outages across much of northern Wisconsin with over 40,000 residences impacted. The combi…
Lakeshore Flood · Oct 21, 2019. The combination of southeast Gales and high lake levels caused lakeshore flooding across eastward facing beaches on the Bay of Green Bay and Lake Michigan during the afternoon hours.
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 Manitowoc 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.