69 flood insurance claims·$359,301 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 Marathon 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.
Flash flooding and river flooding from summer thunderstorms and spring storm systems dominate Marathon County's flood risk, with NOAA records detailing 16 flood events and 12 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Heavy rainfall events are well-documented locally; for example, a slow-moving low pressure system on August 1, 2024, dropped 3 to 5 inches of rain, causing flash flooding and road closures across the county. Earlier, a July 13, 2024, storm produced 2 to 3 inches of rain and flash flooding in Wausau, while an August 11, 2021, storm brought 2 to 4 inches of rain and flash flooding to central and southern parts of the county. Spring systems also generate hazards, such as the March 16, 2016, event when 1.5 to 3 inches of rain triggered low-lying river flooding and ponding on roads.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data shows that properties in high-risk Zone A have filed the highest number of claims (39 claims) with an average payout of $9,440 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. However, properties outside designated high-risk zones also experience losses. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 14 claims with an average payout of $3,095 and an average water depth of 1 inch, standard Zone X recorded 8 claims averaging $8,807 with an average water depth of 1 inch, and Zone X_SHADED recorded 2 claims averaging $15,819 with an average water depth of 0 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents near rivers and within Zone A should pay the most attention, while property owners in Zone X zones must remain aware of severe rainfall risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
29% of Marathon County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
55 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 2010, with 14 claims and $210,158 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Marathon County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
11 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 22, 2010 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 7, 2004 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Sep 2, 2002 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 21, 2002 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Jun 7, 1993 |
| Drought | Jun 17, 1976 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Apr 27, 1973 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
28 since 1996: 12 flash floods and 16 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2024 | $58,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 1, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 11, 2021 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Jul 27, 2016 | — |
| Flood | Mar 16, 2016 | $2,500 |
| Flood | Mar 16, 2016 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Sep 23, 2010 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 13, 2024. Thunderstorms developed during the afternoon on Saturday (7/13) as the area reached its convective temperature. These initial storms produced large hail up to 3 inches, gusty winds, and heavy rainfall across central Wisconsin. Flash Flooding was reported in Wausau as 2 to 3 inches of rain fell during the afternoon. ||A line of severe thunderstorms, associated with a mesoscale convective vortex, then tracked thro…
Flash Flood · Aug 1, 2024. A slow moving low pressure system tracked across Wisconsin during the afternoon hours on Thursday (8/1). Showers and thunderstorms developed in a very moist airmass leading to small hail, gusty winds, and very heavy rain along across portions of central Wisconsin. As much as 3 to 5 inches of rain fell across this region during the afternoon, causing flash flooding and road closures across portions of Marathon, Woo…
Flash Flood · Aug 11, 2021. Thunderstorms developed ahead of a cold front during the afternoon across northeast Wisconsin. The strongest storms produced wind damage, large hail and 2 tornadoes. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches fell across central and southern Marathon County, producing flash flooding across these areas.
Flood · Jul 27, 2016. Slow moving thunderstorms, in a moist and very unstable air mass in the vicinity of a nearly stationary front, produced isolated wind damage and minor flooding in central Wisconsin. Rainfall from the storms was heavy enough to cause street flooding near and west of Edgar (Marathon Co.) and in Birnamwood (Shawano Co.).
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 Marathon 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.