Enter any address in Kankakee County, Illinois to see its FEMA flood zone
River overflow along the Kankakee River is a dominant flood character for Kankakee County. Recent events include ice jams causing river rises and localized flooding near Wilmington in January 2024, and similar conditions near Momence in January 2025. Heavy rain from severe thunderstorms has also contributed to localized flooding, as seen in December 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program data indicates that properties in Zone A have experienced the highest number of claims, with an average payout of $16,051 and an average water depth of 3.3 feet. Properties in Zone X_SHADED also show a significant number of claims, averaging $9,204 in payouts and 3.2 feet of water depth. Homeowners in Zone A, Zone X_SHADED, and those located near rivers or in areas prone to ice jams should pay particular attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
6 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Kankakee County, Illinois has recorded 56 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 24 flash floods and 32 river or area floods. The county has received 7 federal disaster declarations, 1 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1973–2020)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Hurricane | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | Apr 20, 2004 |
| Illinois Winter Snow Storms | Snowstorm | Dec 11, 2000 |
| Winter Storm 1/1/99 | Snowstorm | Jan 1, 1999 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Flood | Apr 26, 1973 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Dec 28, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jan 20, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jan 26, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jan 24, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jan 18, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jan 27, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 27, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 23, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 14, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Sep 28, 2019 | 0.00K |
Flood — Dec 28, 2025
Severe thunderstorms moved across portions of central Illinois during the late morning of December 28th producing localized wind damage. Additional severe thunderstorms moved across parts of central Illinois during the afternoon producing additional wind damage and six tornadoes. Heavy rain also caused localized flooding.
Flood — Jan 20, 2025
An ice jam on the Kankakee River downstream from the gauge at Momence (MOMI2) resulted in minor flooding. Gauge heights rose drastically during the night of the 19th and into the 20th and reached minor flood stage during the afternoon of the 20th. It crested to over 6 feet, just below moderate flood stage, before receding and then falling below flood stage during the early morning of the 26th. ...
Flood — Jan 26, 2024
Warming temperatures, melting snow and melting ice along with periods of heavy rain, caused river rises, localized flooding along rivers and flash flooding due to an ice jam near Wilmington.
Flood — Jan 24, 2024
Warming temperatures, melting snow and melting ice along with periods of heavy rain, caused river rises, localized flooding along rivers and flash flooding due to an ice jam near Wilmington.
Flood — Jan 18, 2024
Very cold temperatures led to rapid ice formation on rivers. Localized flooding due to ice jams occurred along portions of the Kankakee River.
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 Kankakee 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 Kankakee 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.