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FEMA flood zones · Wisconsin

Vilas County, Wisconsin Flood Zone Map

2 federal flood & hurricane disasters

3% of Vilas County’s area is in FEMA’s high-risk flood zones.

Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.

Coastal high risk (V, VE)FloodwayHigh risk (A, AE)Moderate (X, 500-year)Minimal (X)Undetermined (D)

Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Vilas 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.

Federal disasters

6 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.

DisasterBegan
Hurricane Katrina EvacuationAug 29, 2005
Flood-07/20/99Jul 4, 1999
Severe Storms & FloodingJul 10, 1984
DroughtJun 17, 1976

Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.

Recorded flood events

7 since 1996: 2 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.

EventDateDamage
FloodJun 11, 2017$1,000
Flash FloodJul 17, 2011$5,000
FloodSep 6, 2001—
FloodAug 14, 2000—
FloodJul 2, 2000—
FloodApr 19, 1996—
Flash FloodAug 5, 1996—

— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.

From the storm reports

Flood · Jun 11, 2017. More thunderstorms developed later on the afternoon of June 11th in the vicinity of a surface frontal boundary. The storms downed trees and power lines across parts of northern Wisconsin and produced torrential rainfall that caused street flooding in Lac du Flambeau (Vilas Co.), Merrill (Lincoln Co.) and Antigo (Langlade Co.).

Flash Flood · Jul 17, 2011. The passage of a weak upper level disturbance through a very unstable air mass created a bow echo line of severe thunderstorms during the evening hours.

Flood · Sep 6, 2001. A weak tornado briefly touched down a couple of times along a 1.6 mile long path. The tornado caused minor damage to the Pelican Lake Supper Club, blew the roof off a nearby house and destroyed a garage. It also caused minor damage to the Pelican Lake Town Hall and uprooted several trees.Heavy rain from thunderstorms that moved through north-central Wisconsin resulted in flooding of streets and low spots in Rhin…

Flood · Aug 14, 2000. Severe thunderstorms developed in the vicinity of a front that was stalled across northeast Wisconsin. Bowing lines of thunderstorms and supercell thunderstorms produced considerable wind damage, some hail, street flooding and a brief tornado touchdown. Strong winds downed numerous trees and power lines. Some homes were damaged when trees fell on them. About 25,000 customers lost electrical power due to the st…

National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.

The zones you’ll see on the map

Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.

Cross-section of a river floodplainDiagram: a river valley. The floodway is the channel and the land beside it; the 1%-annual-chance flood surface (the base flood elevation) covers the valley floor as zone A or AE; a narrow band higher up is shaded X, the 0.2% floodplain; higher ground is X.0.2% CHANCE A YEAR (500-YEAR)BASE FLOOD ELEVATION · 1% A YEARXAEFloodwayAEX
  1. A / AE Inside the 1%-a-year floodplain: about a 26% chance of flooding over a 30-year mortgage. AE has a mapped base flood elevation; plain A does not.
  2. Floodway The channel and the land beside it that has to be kept clear enough to carry the flood. Building here is tightly limited.
  3. X shaded The 0.2% (500-year) floodplain, plus some levee-protected and very shallow flood areas.
  4. X Outside both lines. No federal requirement to insure, which is not the same as no risk.

Every flood zone code explained →

Flood insurance in Vilas County

If a building in Vilas 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.