22 flood insurance claims·$234,457 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 Marinette 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 from combined snowmelt and heavy rainfall, along with summer flash flooding, dominates the flood character of Marinette County. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 13 standard floods resulting in 1 death, 5 flash flood events, and 3 lakeshore flood events.
Specific recent events illustrate these risks. In April 2019, warm temperatures caused rapid snowmelt that combined with heavy rainfall to produce flooding and rapid flows on the Menominee River near and downstream from McAllister. Later, in May 2022, repeated rounds of moderate to heavy rain from scattered thunderstorms dumped upwards of 7 inches of rain across southern Marinette County during the late afternoon and evening hours.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data shows impacts across multiple zones. Zone A recorded 10 claims with an average payout of $9,022 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Zone X recorded 5 claims with an average payout of $34,240 and an average water depth of 6 inches, while Zone UNKNOWN logged 6 claims averaging $4,562 with an average water depth of 3 inches. Homeowners near rivers, properties in designated Zone A, and those in Zone X should pay the closest attention to flood risks given these historical claims and water depths.
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 5 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 2020, with 5 claims and $170,608 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.
6 NOAA storm reports from Marinette County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
7 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jul 18, 2019 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 21, 2002 |
| Drought | Jun 17, 1976 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Apr 27, 1973 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
21 since 1996: 5 flash floods, 13 river or area floods and 3 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 12, 2022 | $130,500 |
| Lakeshore Flood | May 17, 2020 | — |
| Lakeshore Flood | Oct 21, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Apr 18, 2019 | — · 1 killed |
| Lakeshore Flood | Dec 1, 2019 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2015 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Mar 28, 2004 | $405,500 |
| Flood | Apr 21, 2004 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 12, 2022. Scattered thunderstorms developed along an instability ribbon from central to northeast Wisconsin during the afternoon hours on Thursday (5/12). The strongest storms produced large hail across this area. Further north, an outflow boundary caused wind damage across portions of north-central Wisconsin. Repeated rounds of moderate to heavy rain dumped upwards of 7 inches of rain across central Oconto County and sou…
Lakeshore Flood · May 17, 2020. A strong, slow-moving low pressure system drifted southeast across the upper Midwest over a 3 day period from May 17 through May 19. This system interacted with copious moisture streaming north from the Gulf of Mexico that resulted in several rounds of moderate to heavy rainfall across Wisconsin, northern Illinois and Lower Michigan. Widespread rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches fell across much of east-central and…
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.
Flood · Apr 18, 2019. Warm temperatures caused rapid snow melt that combined with heavy rainfall to produce flooding and rapid flows on the Menominee River near and downstream from McAllister (Marinette 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 Marinette 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.