48 flood insurance claims·$726,927 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 Wood 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.
Heavy rainfall leading to flash flooding and river flooding represents the dominant flood character of Wood County, with NOAA records detailing 11 flash flood events and 12 general flood events over the last 30 years. Intense summer storms frequently produce high-volume rainfall over short periods. For example, a slow-moving low-pressure system on August 1, 2024, dropped 3 to 5 inches of rain, resulting in flash flooding and road closures. Similarly, heavy rainfall of 2 to 4 inches caused flash flooding across the county on July 15, 2022, and multiple rounds of thunderstorms dropped 3 to 5 inches of rain on August 27, 2021. Winter and spring warmups can also trigger rapid snowmelt and river ice jams, as occurred when unseasonally warm February temperatures in 2017 caused multiple rivers to exceed flood stage.
National Flood Insurance Program records reflect claims across different zones. Properties in high-risk Zone A recorded 37 claims with an average payout of $12,862 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Properties in moderate-to-low risk Zone X recorded 10 claims with an average payout of $37,966 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A river corridors, low-lying agricultural and wooded lands adjacent to waterways, and properties susceptible to rapid accumulation from intense summer downpours.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Wood County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
37 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 3 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 2010, with 17 claims and $286,074 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Wood County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wisconsin flood stories →
13 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jul 18, 2019 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 22, 2010 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 7, 2004 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Sep 2, 2002 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 21, 2002 |
| Flooding, Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Apr 10, 2001 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Jun 7, 1993 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
23 since 1996: 11 flash floods and 12 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 1, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 27, 2021 | $61,500 |
| Flood | Feb 21, 2017 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Jun 12, 2017 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 21, 2016 | $64,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2011 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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…
Flash Flood · Jul 15, 2022. Showers and thunderstorm developed north of a warm front during the morning hours on Friday (7/15) across portions of central Wisconsin. A total of 2 to 4 inches of rain fell in a short period across Wood County, causing flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 27, 2021. Thunderstorms developed north of a warm front then tracked east during the late afternoon hours and into the evening. There was an isolated report of wind damage and several rounds of thunderstorms produced flash flooding during the overnight hours across portions of central Wisconsin as 3 to 5 inches of rain fell.
Flood · Feb 21, 2017. Much warmer than normal temperatures from February 17th to the 22nd caused rapid snow melt and ice jams on rivers, especially across central Wisconsin. High temperatures there were in the 50s to lower 60s each day, while overnight lows remained near or above freezing. ||Seven rivers across central Wisconsin exceeded flood stage. The flooding was minor in most cases, impacting low, agricultural, and wooded land adj…
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 Wood 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.