8 flood insurance claims·$69,171 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 Sawyer 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 dominates the flood profile of Sawyer County, with 14 flash flood events recorded out of 21 total flood events over the last 30 years in the NOAA Storm Events Database. Recent occurrences include June 2024, when severe storms produced flash flooding alongside damaging winds, and July 2023, when multiple rounds of storms caused afternoon flash flooding following heavy rainfall. Riverine flooding also occurs, driven by events such as rapid snowmelt combined with spring storms, as seen in April 2023 following record-breaking winter snowfall.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims filed across multiple zones. Zone A accounts for 4 claims with an average payout of $3,192 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Zone X accounts for 3 claims with an average payout of $20,929 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone X_UNSHADED accounts for 1 claim with an average payout of $0 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch.
Property owners located in Zone A, as well as those situated near waterways and in areas prone to intense summer convective storms, should pay the closest attention to flood risks in the county.
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 2 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 2016, with 3 claims and $6,384 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.
17 NOAA storm reports from Sawyer County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
9 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 11, 2016 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Sep 2, 2002 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 26, 2000 |
| Flood-07/20/99 | Jul 4, 1999 |
| Winds, Hail & Rain | Aug 5, 1977 |
| Drought | Jun 17, 1976 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
21 since 1996: 14 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Aug 9, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 24, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Apr 12, 2023 | $300,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 27, 2020 | $3,250 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 27, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Jun 11, 2017 | $1,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Aug 9, 2025. Another complex of thunderstorms developed the night of the 8th into the 9th across the Northern Plains and pushed eastward across the Northland during the morning hours. A bowing segment developed across northwest Wisconsin around sunrise and led to some areas of tree damage where it tracked. Heavy rainfall also produced some minor flooding in the community of Stone Lake.
Flash Flood · Jun 24, 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 27, 2023. Warm and humid conditions developed across northeastern Minnesota on the 27th ahead of a frontal boundary that stalled out across the region. Storms were primarily hail producers across northeastern Minnesota but transitioned to more of a wind threat as they grew upscale across northwestern Wisconsin. Numerous reports of trees and powerlines downed were received across the area with some flash flooding occurring l…
Flood · Apr 12, 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…
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 Sawyer 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.