412 flood insurance claims·$10.4M paid·8 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 Henderson 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 along the Mississippi dominates the flood risk in Henderson County, Illinois, supported by 41 recorded flood events compared to 19 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Recent significant events include major Mississippi River flooding in April 2023, caused by record winter snowfall, frozen ground, and rapid snowmelt in Minnesota and Wisconsin, which resulted in top 10 crests affecting roads, businesses, and homes. Prolonged high water levels along the river continued into July 2024 due to cumulative upper-basin rainfall and heavy local precipitation.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that property owners located in FEMA flood zones should pay the closest attention to their specific designations. Zone A accounts for the vast majority of claims with 327 filings averaging a payout of $22,122 and an average recorded water depth of 27 inches. However, properties in shaded Zone X experienced the highest average payouts at $100,043 and the deepest average water at 74 inches across 37 claims. Zone X and unshaded Zone X properties also recorded significant claims, averaging $34,891 and $20,974 respectively, while unknown zones averaged $3,095.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
13% of Henderson County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
374 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 31 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 2008, with 136 claims and $7.0M 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.
19 NOAA storm reports from Henderson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Illinois flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Feb 24, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 16, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 1, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Flooding | Apr 18, 2001 |
| Illinois Winter Snow Storms | Dec 11, 2000 |
| Winter Storm 1/1/99 | Jan 1, 1999 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
60 since 1996: 19 flash floods and 41 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 2, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 27, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Apr 26, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 5, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Apr 11, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 29, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 29, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Apr 26, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 2, 2024. Rain that fell during the month of June across Minnesota and Wisconsin caused rises on the Mississippi River, along the Iowa and Illinois border. Additionally, heavy rain that fell locally in July helped to prolong the crest and delay the river falling below flood stage, especially south of the Wapsipinicon, Rock, and Iowa Rivers.
Flood · Apr 27, 2023. Significant flooding occurred on the mainstem Mississippi largely due to the record snowfall this winter in Minnesota and Wisconsin, frozen ground, rapid snowmelt during the middle of April, and saturated soils. Major flooding was observed at all sites along the Mississippi north of Keokuk Iowa and most sites saw one of their top 10 crests on record.|This flooding had numerous impacts, with many roads, businesses…
Flood · Apr 26, 2023. Significant flooding occurred on the mainstem Mississippi largely due to the record snowfall this winter in Minnesota and Wisconsin, frozen ground, rapid snowmelt during the middle of April, and saturated soils. Major flooding was observed at all sites along the Mississippi north of Keokuk Iowa and most sites saw one of their top 10 crests on record.|This flooding had numerous impacts, with many roads, businesses…
Flash Flood · Aug 5, 2023. A significant rain event occurred late Friday into Saturday across west central Illinois, which resulted in flash flooding. A slow moving mesoscale convective vortex (MCV) tracked over the area and brought very heavy rain in a short amount of time. Rainfall amounts between 2 and 4 inches fell in less than 6 hours.
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 Henderson 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.