Enter any address in Crawford County, Illinois to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from slow-moving thunderstorms dominates Crawford County's flood events. Over the past 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database has recorded 43 flash flood events and 12 general flood events. Recent examples include isolated flash flooding south of I-70 on July 27, 2025, caused by rainfall rates of 1-3 inches per hour, and additional flooding from thunderstorms on August 8-9, 2022, where some areas saw rainfall exceeding 2 inches per hour.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data shows that properties in Zone A have experienced the most claims, with an average payout of $26,727 and an average water depth of 4.5 feet. Properties in Zone X and Zone X_Unshaded have also seen claims, with average payouts of $9,506 and $10,802 respectively, and average water depths of -13.8 feet and 3.5 feet. Residents in areas designated as Zone A, as well as those located near rivers or in lower-lying areas, should pay particular attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
23 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Crawford County, Illinois has recorded 55 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 43 flash floods and 12 river or area floods. The county has received 9 federal disaster declarations, 2 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1985–2020)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Flood | Apr 16, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Jun 1, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Hurricane | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Tornado | Apr 21, 2002 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Apr 28, 1996 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Flood | Feb 23, 1985 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 1, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Aug 9, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 3, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 29, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 11, 2018 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 8, 2018 | 0.00K |
Flash Flood — Jul 27, 2025
Clusters of slow-moving thunderstorms developed along an outflow boundary across southeast Illinois during the late afternoon and early evening of July 27th. The storms were primarily focused south of the I-70 corridor where rainfall rates of 1-3 inches per hour led to isolated flash flooding in Crawford County.
Flash Flood — Aug 8, 2022
A cluster of thunderstorms developed in the evening near the I-70 corridor ahead of a slow moving cold front. These thunderstorms produced heavy rain and isolated flash flooding across southeast Illinois, with some locations observing rainfall rates that exceeded 2 inches per hour. An additional cluster of thunderstorms moved across the same areas early on the morning of August 9th, producing m...
Flash Flood — Jul 1, 2022
A cluster of slow-moving thunderstorms developed along a cold front during the evening, producing isolated wind damage and flash flooding south of I-70.
Flash Flood — Aug 1, 2022
An outflow boundary from convection earlier in the day served as the primary focusing mechanism for numerous storm clusters along and south of I-70 from the late afternoon of August 1st into the pre-dawn hours of August 2nd. Some of the storms dropped very large hail up to 2 inches in diameter. In addition, continuous back-building cells produced a swath of heavy rainfall in excess of 8 inch...
Flood — Aug 9, 2021
Scattered thunderstorms developed in advance of an approaching warm front during the morning of August 9th. Several of the storms produced locally heavy rainfall, with one of the cells dropping a Doppler radar estimated 3 to 6 inches of rain across portions of Crawford County. Due to the excessive rainfall rates, numerous rural roads were closed across Crawford County.
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Crawford County, Illinois:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Crawford County, Illinois that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.