16 flood insurance claims·$209,904 paid
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 Hardin 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.
River overflow and flash flooding from summer thunderstorms and heavy rainfall dominate the flood history of Hardin County, Illinois, with NOAA records detailing 46 standard flood events and 12 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Heavy rainfall and saturated conditions repeatedly push regional waterways above flood stage, as demonstrated by a series of heavy rain events in late December 2021 and January 2022 that sent the Ohio River above flood stage and inundated low-lying farmland, fields, and access roads. Similarly, a very wet February in 2020 brought minor to moderate river flooding across the southern Illinois stretch of the Ohio River, impacting bottomland agricultural fields and county roads. Flash flooding is also a hazard, driven by slow-moving thunderstorms and high precipitable water values, such as the major severe weather outbreak on May 8, 2024, and heavy rainfall rates exceeding 1.5 inches per hour on July 31, 2020.
NFIP claims data shows historical payouts across multiple zones. Properties in Zone A experienced 10 claims with an average payout of $16,555 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Zone X recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $2,742 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches, while Zone X unshaded recorded 2 claims averaging $49,522 with an average depth of 2 inches, and Zone X shaded recorded 1 claim with a $3,300 average payout and 0 inches of recorded water depth. Property owners, agricultural operators, and residents located near rivers, streams, and low-lying bottomlands should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 5 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 2011, with 4 claims and $150,675 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding.
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.
22 NOAA storm reports from Hardin County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Illinois flood stories →
8 federal disaster declarations since 1997.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 19, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 26, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Record/near Record Snow | Dec 21, 2004 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Apr 21, 2002 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 1, 1997 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
58 since 1996: 12 flash floods and 46 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 8, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jan 8, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Feb 12, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Jan 27, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Feb 10, 2019 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Jan 4, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Mar 1, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 8, 2024. A major outbreak of severe weather occurred on the 8th for the Quad State region. On the synoptic scale, a longwave trough was centered across the Rockies with deep-layer southwesterly flow from the Southern Plains to the Ohio Valley. A 110 kt upper jet extended from northern KS to IA while a 60 kt mid-level jet was positioned across northern MZ into IA. Surface low pressure near the MZ/KS border lifted to St. Lou…
Flood · Jan 8, 2022. A series of heavy rainfall events in late December and early January sent the Wabash River and large portions of the Ohio River above flood stage. The river flooding was minor. Low-lying farmland and fields along both rivers were flooded, as well as some river access roads and public recreational land.
Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2020. Numerous slow-moving thunderstorms developed near a stationary front that extended from southeast Missouri across the southern tip of Illinois to western Kentucky. A well-defined upper-level low circulation over eastern Kansas moved east, providing some additional support for the storms. The precipitable water values across the region were on the order of 1.8 to 2.0 inches, which supported heavy rainfall rates tha…
Flood · Feb 12, 2020. A very wet February contributed to another period of river flooding. This was the 8th wettest February on record in Paducah, KY, where the monthly rainfall total was 6.98 inches. Minor to moderate flooding was observed along the entire southern Illinois stretch of the Ohio River. In the areas of minor flooding, the primary impact was low-lying agricultural fields and some county roads in the bottomlands. Where mod…
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 Hardin 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.