Enter any address in Effingham County, Illinois to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from thunderstorms is the dominant flood character in Effingham County, IL. Between 1993 and 2023, NOAA Storm Events data recorded 59 flash flood events and 15 flood events. For example, on July 20, 2025, strong thunderstorms triggered scattered flash flooding across south-central Illinois, including areas south of a Shelbyville to Marshall line. Earlier, on June 30, 2025, a slow-moving cold front produced heavy rain and flash flooding along and southeast of the I-70 corridor.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data shows one claim filed in Zone A, with an average payout of $1,007 and an average water depth of 1.0 foot. Homeowners in areas designated as Zone A, particularly those without a Base Flood Elevation (BFE) or located near waterways, should pay the most attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
35 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Effingham County, Illinois has recorded 74 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 59 flash floods and 15 river or area floods. The county has received 7 federal disaster declarations. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1996–2021)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Tornado | Dec 10, 2021 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| 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 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Apr 2, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 6, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 17, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 3, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 1, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2020 | 0.00K |
Flash Flood — Jun 30, 2025
A slow-moving cold front progressed across Illinois during the afternoon and evening of June 30th, 2025, interacting with a very moist, unstable airmass and resulting in clusters of thunderstorms. Eventually, these clusters of storms grew into a slow-moving complex that produced heavy rain along and southeast of the I-70 corridor, with rainfall amounts ranging from 1 to 3.5 inches. This resulte...
Flash Flood — Jul 20, 2025
An outflow boundary interacting with a very moist airmass characterized by surface dewpoints in the middle to upper 70s triggered clusters of strong to severe thunderstorms across south-central Illinois during the afternoon and evening of July 20th. Scattered wind damage and flash flooding occurred...mainly south of a Shelbyville to Marshall line.
Flash Flood — Apr 2, 2025
An area of low pressure tracked from southeastern Nebraska during the morning of April 2nd to western Wisconsin by evening, triggering two rounds of convection across central Illinois.||Round 1 occurred during the morning when a line of thunderstorms along the trailing cold front pushed into the Illinois River Valley. These storms were generally sub-severe, but one cell produced a downburst wi...
Flash Flood — Jul 1, 2025
A slow-moving cold front interacted with a very moist, unstable airmass during the afternoon and evening of June 30th, 2025, resulting in a cluster of thunderstorms that produced heavy rainfall along and south of I-70 late that evening. Rainfall amounts of 1 to 3.5 inches occurred, which resulted in a few instances of flooding beginning on June 30th and lingering into the early morning hours of...
Flash Flood — Aug 6, 2023
A vigorous short-wave trough interacted with an approaching low pressure system and associated warm frontal boundary to trigger clusters of strong to severe thunderstorms across west-central Illinois during the late afternoon of August 6th. Due to enhanced low-level wind shear along and north of the warm front, many of the cells began rotating and spinning up occasional funnel clouds. One of ...
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 Effingham 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 Effingham 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.