5 flood insurance claims·$41,921 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 Edgar 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 Edgar County, Illinois, accounting for 37 out of 42 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 5 standard flood events.
Severe weather patterns routinely trigger localized inundation, as demonstrated on July 19, 2020, when 4 to 5 inches of heavy rainfall produced flash flooding across portions of Edgar and Clark counties. Torrential downpours associated with stationary fronts also created localized flash flooding across Douglas and Edgar counties on June 3, 2020, and near the Interstate 70 corridor on August 3, 2022.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate historical claims across multiple zones, including Zone A, Zone X, and Zone Unknown, with recorded claim payouts averaging between $3,152 and $16,817. Property owners in designated Zone A, Zone X, and properties with unknown flood zone classifications should pay the closest attention to local weather alerts and historical flood patterns, as heavy summer precipitation poses a consistent localized threat.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
The worst year was 1994, with 1 claims and $28,661 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.
13 NOAA storm reports from Edgar 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 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 Ice Storm | Feb 14, 1990 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Jun 10, 1974 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
42 since 1996: 37 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 3, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Apr 29, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 29, 2017 | — |
| Flood | May 4, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 4, 2017 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2017 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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.
Flash Flood · Jul 19, 2020. A cold front triggered clusters of thunderstorms across east-central Illinois during the afternoon of July 19th. Heavy rainfall of 4 to 5 inches produced flash flooding across portions of Edgar and Clark counties. As the front settled further southward, additional strong to severe thunderstorms developed along the boundary. One cell produced wind gusts in excess of 60mph and created considerable tree damage in…
Flash Flood · Jun 3, 2020. A stationary frontal boundary extending from southern Lake Michigan to northern Missouri triggered clusters of strong to severe thunderstorms across portions of central Illinois during the evening of June 3rd into the pre-dawn hours of June 4th. Some of the cells produced damaging wind gusts of around 60mph, hail as large as quarters, and torrential downpours. Three to four inches of rain was reported in a few s…
Flood · Apr 29, 2017. Heavy rainfall impacted central and southeast Illinois from April 29th into April 30th...creating flash flooding, which led to widespread areal flooding. Periods of thunderstorms with very high rainfall rates dropped 2.00 to 6.50 inches of rain across much of central and southeast Illinois from April 29th into early on May 1st. This rainfall, occurring on top of already saturated soils, created flash flooding in a…
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 Edgar 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.