24 flood insurance claims·$225,461 paid·2 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 Waushara 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.
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 2020, with 8 claims and $166,976 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Waushara County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
10 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 7, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 21, 2002 |
| Flooding, Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Apr 10, 2001 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Jun 7, 1993 |
| Severe Storms & Tornadoes | Aug 29, 1992 |
| Drought | Jun 17, 1976 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Apr 27, 1973 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
13 since 1996: 6 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 1, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Mar 15, 2019 | $13,000 |
| Flood | Jun 12, 2017 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Sep 21, 2016 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2007 | — |
| Flood | Jun 11, 2004 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2002 | $975,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 16, 2025. Showers and thunderstorms tracked through central and east-central Wisconsin during the afternoon and evening on Wednesday (7/16) as a mesoscale convective vortex tracked along a cold front through southern Wisconsin. This system brought a brief period of heavy rainfall with rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches and locally higher amounts exceeding 5 inches across the area. The heavy rain in a short period caused fl…
Flash Flood · Aug 1, 2024. A slow moving low pressure system tracked across Wisconsin during the afternoon hours on Thursday (8/1). Showers and thunderstorms developed in a very moist airmass leading to small hail, gusty winds, and very heavy rain along across portions of central Wisconsin. As much as 3 to 5 inches of rain fell across this region during the afternoon, causing flash flooding and road closures across portions of Marathon, Woo…
Flood · Mar 15, 2019. Several locations across northeast Wisconsin had snow depths around a foot or more above normal for late February and early March. Temperatures across central and northern Wisconsin warmed above freezing during the daytime hours starting around March 8th. Rain accompanied the warmer temperatures, and the runoff from the combination of rain and rapidly melting snow caused flooding of streams, rivers, ditches, roads…
Flood · Jun 12, 2017. A stalled front across central and east central Wisconsin was the focus for severe thunderstorms. Storms developed in southern Minnesota and a bow echo formed that made its way across Wisconsin south of Highway 29. The worst damage was around Stevens Point (Portage Co.) where thunderstorm winds downed numerous trees and power lines. Power was knocked out to 15,000 to 18,000 customers. The storms also brought torre…
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 Waushara 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.