95 flood insurance claims·$1.2M paid·4 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 Richland 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 severe storms and snowmelt dominate the flood history of Richland County, Wisconsin. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 26 flash flood events resulting in 1 death, alongside 17 general flood events. Historical records illustrate these hazards, such as a March 2019 event when warming temperatures caused a rapid melt of a 12-to-18-inch snowpack, displacing families, flooding basements, and closing numerous roads. Heavy late-summer rainfall also drives local flooding, as demonstrated on September 3, 2018, when 2 to 5 inches of rain put roads underwater across the county. Severe storms days later on August 28, 2018, produced additional heavy rain that aggravated ongoing flooding and caused the West Fork of the Kickapoo River to cover nearby roads.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that property owners in designated Special Flood Hazard Areas face the highest risk. Zone A properties account for the majority of claims with 69 filings, averaging an $18,386 payout and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. However, properties outside high-risk zones are also vulnerable; Zone X properties recorded 16 claims with an average payout of $16,427 and an average water depth of 9 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay particular attention to properties located within Zone A and Zone X, where recorded water depths inside structures regularly reach these averages regardless of mapped zone status.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
4% of Richland County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
72 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 2007, with 19 claims and $223,932 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.
28 NOAA storm reports from Richland County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Landslides | Aug 17, 2018 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mud | Jul 19, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Sep 21, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Jun 20, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 5, 2008 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 18, 2007 |
| 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.
43 since 1996: 26 flash floods and 17 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Mar 14, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Aug 28, 2018 | $610,000 |
| Flood | Aug 28, 2018 | $85,000 |
| Flood | Sep 4, 2018 | — |
| Flood | May 4, 2018 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 3, 2018 | $336,000 |
| Flood | Jul 20, 2017 | $211,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2017 | $186,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Mar 14, 2019. During the period from about March 10th through the 15th, daytime temperatures warmed well into the 40s with some locations reaching the 50s. These warm temperatures caused a rapid melt of the existing snowpack that averaged between 12 and 18 inches. The runoff from this snowmelt caused extensive flooding to occur across most of western Wisconsin. Families were displaced from homes, water went into basements and n…
Flood · Aug 28, 2018. For the second straight day, severe storms moved across western Wisconsin on August 28th. These storms produced damaging winds, large hail and another round of heavy rain. This additional heavy rain aggravated ongoing flooding and caused some new flooding to occur. Water from the West Fork of the Kickapoo River covered roads near Avalanche (Vernon County). Trees were blown down in Viroqua (Vernon County), Lyndon S…
Flood · Sep 4, 2018. Thunderstorms with heavy rain moved across western Wisconsin during the evening of September 3rd. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 5 inches produced some flash flooding across portions of Monroe, Vernon, Crawford and Richland Counties. A mudslide occurred along State Highway 35 near Genoa (Vernon County). Roads were under water across Richland County and numerous roads were covered by 1 to 2 feet of water around Norwalk (…
Flood · May 4, 2018. Several rounds of thunderstorms moved across southwest Wisconsin from the late afternoon of May 3rd into the early morning hours of May 4th. These storms produced 2 to 4 inches of rain in a relatively short time. Runoff from this rain pushed the Pine River out of its banks with the flood waters closing several roads over the northern portions of Richland County. The highest reported rainfall total was 4.8 inches n…
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 Richland 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.