343 flood insurance claims·$3.8M paid·6 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 Jo Daviess 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 and river flooding dominate the flood profile of Jo Daviess County, with the NOAA Storm Events Database recording 41 flash flood events resulting in 3 deaths and 20 general flood events over the last 30 years. Recent impacts include June 2024 thunderstorms that dropped 1 to 3 inches of rain causing localized flash flooding, as well as prolonged Mississippi River flooding in July 2024 driven by cumulative regional rainfall from Minnesota and Wisconsin combined with local precipitation.
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that property owners in high-risk Zone A face the highest frequency of risk, accounting for 298 claims with an average payout of $11,573 and an average recorded water depth of 13 inches. However, properties located outside mapped high-risk areas also experience significant severity; Zone X claims averaged $40,697 with an average recorded water depth of 22 inches, while Zone X shaded claims averaged $26,039 with a 15-inch average water depth, and Zone X unshaded claims averaged $26,541 with a 6-inch average water depth.
Property owners situated in Zone A and Zone X, as well as those located near the Mississippi River and areas susceptible to intense summer convective storms, should pay the closest attention to flood risk and mitigation.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
4% of Jo Daviess County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
309 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 12 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 72 claims and $1.4M 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.
20 NOAA storm reports from Jo Daviess County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Illinois flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 19, 2010 |
| Record Snow And Near Record Snow | Feb 5, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Flooding | Apr 18, 2001 |
| Severe Storms And Flash Flooding | May 16, 1999 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Apr 13, 1993 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | May 15, 1990 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
61 since 1996: 41 flash floods and 20 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jul 5, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jul 4, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 25, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Apr 22, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2020 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 14, 2024. Severe thunderstorms produced wind damage and heavy rainfall as the storms sagged southeastward across northwest Illinois on the evening of July 14th. The strongest thunderstorms occurred from the Quad Cities southeastward through Henry County and into southern Bureau and Putnam Counties.
Flood · Jul 5, 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 · Jul 4, 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.
Flash Flood · Jun 3, 2024. An unorganized line of strong to severe thunderstorms developed in eastern Iowa on the afternoon of June 3. This line of thunderstorms continued into northwest Illinois, with thunderstorms capable of severe winds and heavy rain. A quick 1-3 inches of rainfall fell for some, which resulted in localized flash flooding.
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 Jo Daviess 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.