6 flood insurance claims·$96,559 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 Price 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 from summer thunderstorms and heavy rainfall events dominates the flood profile of Price County, Wisconsin. Over the last 30 years, NOAA recorded 15 flash flood events compared to 3 general flood events. Recent history includes a June 2024 severe storm complex that produced flash flooding alongside damaging winds, as well as an isolated flash flood in July 2024 in Phillips, where overwhelmed storm drains caused water to flow into an ambulance garage. Spring flooding is also a risk driven by rapid snowpack melting and heavy precipitation, such as the record-breaking winter snowmelt and subsequent storms observed in April 2023.
National Flood Insurance Program records reflect claims in both high-risk and moderate-to-low-risk areas. Zone A records show 4 claims with an average payout of $24,321 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone X records show 2 claims with an average payout of $36,119 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within designated Zone A flood hazard areas, as well as properties vulnerable to localized stormwater backup, heavy spring runoff, and intense summer rainfall.
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 1 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 2003, with 2 claims and $72,238 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.
14 NOAA storm reports from Price County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
8 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Sep 2, 2002 |
| Flood-07/20/99 | Jul 4, 1999 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Jun 7, 1993 |
| Winds, Hail & Rain | Aug 5, 1977 |
| Drought | Jun 17, 1976 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
18 since 1996: 15 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 25, 2024 | $75,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 22, 2024 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Apr 11, 2023 | $120,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 13, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2020 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2020 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 11, 2017 | $1,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 25, 2024. Thunderstorms developed in the vicinity of a warm front across northwest Wisconsin during the evening hours of the 24th. Storms quickly became severe in a very unstable and highly sheared environment as the grew upscale into a large complex during the late evening and early overnight hours. Damaging wind gusts comprised the majority of reports with numerous trees downed and buildings damaged along with a measured…
Flash Flood · Jul 22, 2024. An area of low pressure and associated frontal boundary slowly moved from north to south across the region on the 22nd. Showers and thunderstorms developed along the boundary and moved to the east. No strong or severe storms were observed, but the storms did produce heavy rainfall in isolated areas. One of the storms caused minor flash flooding in Phillips where storm drains were overwhelmed and water started flow…
Flood · Apr 11, 2023. Record breaking snowfall for the 2022-2023 winter season was received across all of northwest Wisconsin which was about 200% of normal snowfall. Much of this snowpack remained on the ground into April. Warm temperatures 10 to 20 degrees above normal during the second week of the month led to rapid snowmelt across the region with fast rises on area waterways. This above normal warmth was quickly followed by a late…
Flash Flood · Apr 13, 2022. A strong and slow moving area of low pressure moved from the Central Plains on the 12th to over Minnesota on the morning of the 14th and became occluded. A cold front pushed across northwest Wisconsin on the 13th with heavy rainfall being received in some locations. Rainfall totals or 2-3 inches were recorded around Washburn County with most falling in a 5 hour period. Additionally, frost was still in the ground l…
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 Price 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.