62 flood insurance claims·$710,406 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 Coles 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 in Coles County, Illinois, accounting for 41 events compared to 11 general floods and 2 related deaths over the last 30 years. Heavy rainfall from slow-moving fronts routinely produces localized high water and road closures, such as a storm on June 27, 2021, that dropped 2 to 4 inches of rain in Mattoon. Another heavy rain event on August 7, 2022, brought isolated flooding to eastern Illinois as thunderstorms progressed from Missouri.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, with high-risk Zone A recording 38 claims averaging $10,743 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Zone X properties recorded 9 claims with an average payout of $49,055 and an average recorded water depth of 12 inches. Zone X shaded areas recorded 4 claims with an average payout of $13,738 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch, while unshaded Zone X areas had 5 claims averaging $2,941 with an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone unknown logged 6 claims with an average payout of $321 and 0 inches of recorded water depth. Homeowners and real estate agents in designated high-risk Zone A and moderate-to-low risk Zone X should pay the closest attention to these historical flood patterns.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
19% of Coles County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
47 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 4 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 1999, with 17 claims and $115,698 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.
17 NOAA storm reports from Coles County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Illinois flood stories →
9 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 29, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Dec 10, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 1, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Apr 21, 2002 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Jun 10, 1974 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
52 since 1996: 41 flash floods and 11 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 29, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 3, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Jun 27, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Jan 11, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Apr 3, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 3, 2018 | $2.0M |
| Flood | Apr 29, 2017 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 29, 2022. Numerous clusters of strong thunderstorms developed along an outflow boundary and ahead of a slowly approaching cold front during the evening of August 29th. Some of the thunderstorm cells merged and produced damaging wind gusts in excess of 60mph, particularly across Vermilion County. Excessive rainfall rates led to scattered flash flooding across central Illinois as well.
Flash Flood · Jul 7, 2022. A complex of thunderstorms developed along a stalled frontal boundary over Missouri during the pre-dawn hours of July 7, 2022. These storms progressed into Illinois, producing isolated flooding in eastern Illinois during the early afternoon.
Flash Flood · Aug 3, 2022. A line of thunderstorms developed near I-55 along an outflow boundary during early afternoon and progressed east-southeast towards I-70 by early evening. The storms produced scattered wind damage, and a 61 mph gust was measured at the Decatur Airport. Heavy rain led to a few instances of flash flooding near the I-70 corridor during the evening.
Flood · Jun 27, 2021. A slow-moving cold front interacting with a warm and very humid airmass resulted in scattered thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening of June 27th. One cluster of storms dropped heavy rainfall of 2 to 4 inches in Mattoon in Coles County, causing localized flash flooding and a few road closures.
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 Coles 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.