2,435 flood insurance claims·$29.0M paid·7 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 Milwaukee 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 floods and general riverine floods from severe weather dominate the flood history of Milwaukee County. According to NOAA Storm Events Database records over the last 30 years, the county experienced 36 flash flood events resulting in 2 deaths, 34 general flood events resulting in 3 deaths, and 2 lakeshore flood events. Recent severe impacts include historic flash flooding and record rainfall in August 2025, when warm, moist air rising along a stalled front dropped more than 10 inches of rain across the Milwaukee Metropolitan Area. This produced widespread flooding along streets, creeks, rivers, and low-lying neighborhoods, causing damages in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that property owners across multiple zones face significant risk. Zone A holds the highest number of claims at 1,449, with an average payout of $14,264 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Properties in Zone X recorded 507 claims with an average payout of $22,988 and an average water depth of 10 inches, while unshaded Zone X properties recorded 241 claims averaging an $11,119 payout with an average water depth of 12 inches. Shaded Zone X properties recorded 68 claims with an average payout of $8,718 and an average water depth of 8 inches, and unknown zones recorded 169 claims with an average payout of $3,348 and an average water depth of 2 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in Zone A and Zone X, where claims and recorded water depths are highest during extreme rainfall events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
18% of Milwaukee County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,759 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 9 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 1998, with 688 claims and $5.7M 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.
44 NOAA storm reports from Milwaukee County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Mudslides | Aug 9, 2025 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Jan 10, 2020 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jul 20, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 5, 2008 |
| Record Snow And Near Record Snow | Feb 5, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 7, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
72 since 1996: 36 flash floods, 34 river or area floods and 2 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 18, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Aug 10, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2025 | $5.8M |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2025 | $60.0M · 1 killed |
| Flood | Apr 2, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flood | May 7, 2024 | — |
| Flood | May 7, 2024 | $3,000 |
| Flood | Feb 27, 2023 | $20,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 18, 2025. A cluster of severe thunderstorms with very large hail and heavy rain tracked along a warm front over southern WI during the morning. Numerous reports of very large hail were received, and also flash flooding in Milwaukee.
Flood · Aug 10, 2025. A historic flash flood and record rainfall occurred over portions of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Area and Southeast WI resulting in damages in the $100s Millions. Warm, moist, and unstable air rose along a stalled front to produce numerous thunderstorms and more than 10 inches of rain in many locations. Widespread flash flooding of streets, creeks, rivers, and low lying neighborhoods occurred. A homeless camp in Mi…
Flash Flood · Aug 10, 2025. A historic flash flood and record rainfall occurred over portions of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Area and Southeast WI resulting in damages in the $100s Millions. Warm, moist, and unstable air rose along a stalled front to produce numerous thunderstorms and more than 10 inches of rain in many locations. Widespread flash flooding of streets, creeks, rivers, and low lying neighborhoods occurred. A homeless camp in Mi…
Flash Flood · Aug 9, 2025. A historic flash flood and record rainfall occurred over portions of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Area and Southeast WI resulting in damages in the $100s Millions. Warm, moist, and unstable air rose along a stalled front to produce numerous thunderstorms and more than 10 inches of rain in many locations. Widespread flash flooding of streets, creeks, rivers, and low lying neighborhoods occurred. A homeless camp in Mi…
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 Milwaukee 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.