81 flood insurance claims·$708,159 paid·4 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 Marshall 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 dominates the flood history of Marshall County. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 21 flash flood events and 12 general flood events. Recent severe weather includes heavy rainfall of 3 to 4 inches in about an hour that caused significant flash flooding across western Marshall County on May 28, 2020. Additionally, training thunderstorm cells on July 15, 2021, dropped 2 to 4 inches of rain across southern Marshall County, forcing the closure of several roads including Illinois Route 17 between Lacon and Sparland.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that property owners in high-risk Zone A have filed the highest number of claims, totaling 57 claims with an average payout of $9,428 and an average recorded water depth of 11 inches. Residents in Zone X have also experienced significant water levels, averaging 20 inches of recorded water depth across 8 claims with an average payout of $13,114. Properties located in Zone A and Zone X should pay the closest attention to local flood risks, alongside properties with unknown or unshaded zone classifications that have also reported historical claims.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
3% of Marshall County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
59 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 10 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 1982, with 16 claims and $71,966 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes & 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.
10 NOAA storm reports from Marshall County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Illinois flood stories →
14 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 16, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Snow | Nov 30, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Illinois Winter Snow Storms | Dec 11, 2000 |
| Winter Storm 1/1/99 | Jan 1, 1999 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | May 15, 1990 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Feb 23, 1985 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
33 since 1996: 21 flash floods and 12 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2020 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 30, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Apr 29, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 29, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 13, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2015 | $150,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 15, 2021. A line of thunderstorms preceding a cold front dropped into north-central Illinois during the pre-dawn hours of July 15th. Several cells trained over the same locations, with Doppler radar rainfall estimates of 2 to 4 inches across southern Marshall County. The heavy rainfall prompted the closure of several roads, including Illinois Route 17 between Lacon and Sparland.
Flash Flood · May 28, 2020. A slow-moving cold front crossing the Mississippi River triggered scattered thunderstorms during the late afternoon and evening of May 28th. The storms produced 3 landspout tornadoes...one in Peoria County and two in Moultrie County. In addition, other thunderstorm cells dropped 3 to 4 inches of rain in about an hour, causing significant flash flooding across western Marshall County.
Flash Flood · May 28, 2019. An upper-level disturbance tracking along a nearly stationary frontal boundary triggered a line of strong to severe thunderstorms across west-central Illinois during the late evening of May 28th. The storms tracked eastward and gradually weakened as they approached the I-55 corridor by the early morning of May 29th. Wind gusts of 60-70 mph downed numerous tree branches and power lines as the storms advanced east…
Flash Flood · May 30, 2018. A stationary frontal boundary interacting with an unseasonably moist airmass triggered several clusters of thunderstorms across north-central Illinois during the morning of May 30th. Locally heavy rainfall of 3 to 5 inches occurred from eastern Peoria County across portions of Tazewell, Marshall, and Woodford counties. Due to excessive rainfall rates, flash flooding was reported in many areas. Route 17 became i…
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 Marshall 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.