29 flood insurance claims·$610,920 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 Clinton County, Illinois. 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 risk profile in Clinton County, Illinois, accounting for 20 of the last 30 years' recorded flood events, alongside 3 riverine flood events resulting in 1 death. Severe weather events frequently produce intense rainfall totals over short periods, such as thunderstorms on July 17, 2025, that dumped over 4 inches of rain in two hours, and storms on July 22, 2019, that brought 2 to 6 inches of rainfall primarily along and south of Interstate 70.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that properties situated in high-risk Zone A face the highest frequency of loss, registering 23 claims with an average payout of $16,411 and an average recorded water depth of 20 inches. Conversely, properties in Zone X recorded fewer claims (4) but higher severity, with an average payout of $73,735 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. One claim was also recorded in Zone X_UNSHADED with an average payout of $4,172 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches, while one claim in Zone UNKNOWN resulted in a $0 payout and 0 inches of recorded water depth.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within designated Zone A, where historical claim frequency and average water depths are significantly higher.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
4% of Clinton County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
24 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 17 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 2015, with 9 claims and $318,189 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.
2 NOAA storm reports from Clinton County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Illinois flood stories →
7 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Apr 21, 2002 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Dec 13, 1982 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Apr 26, 1973 |
| Heavy Rains & Flooding | Aug 30, 1969 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
23 since 1996: 20 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 4, 2022 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 22, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 22, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 11, 2015 | — · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | Jun 17, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 27, 2009 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 17, 2025. Numerous thunderstorms developed along and south of a cold front during the afternoon of July 17th. These thunderstorms congealed and dumped 4+ inches of rain on portions of southwest Illinois over 2 hours, resulting in flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 4, 2022. During the afternoon hours of August 3rd, numerous thunderstorms developed across parts of eastern Missouri and west-central Illinois, triggered by strong surface heating ahead of a surging outflow boundary. These storms developed within a strongly unstable environment, featuring MLCAPE values ranging from 2500 to as much as 4000 J/kg and largely driven by the very warm and humid boundary layer. The initial round…
Flash Flood · Jul 22, 2019. Convection fired up along an old outflow and an intersecting cold front and tracked east southeast across the forecast area. Between 2 to 6 inches of rain fell, mainly along and south of Interstate 70. There were numerous reports of flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 22, 2019. An upper level shortwave trough moved through the region along a slowly advancing west to east frontal boundary. Several waves of thunderstorms developed along the boundary with rainfall amounts of two to four inches with isolated higher amounts. This caused flash flooding in several locations.
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 Clinton 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.