11 flood insurance claims·$64,582 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 Perry 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 driven by summer storms dominates the flood history of Perry County, Illinois, accounting for 40 of the 60 recorded flood events over the last 30 years alongside 20 general flood events.
Heavy rainfall events illustrate this hazard, such as the July 2024 storms that brought 2 to 5 inches of rain to Perry County, contributing to a secondary dam failure and causing roads north of Tamaroa to flood for the second time within a week before transitioning to standing water and rising creek levels.
Property owners should evaluate their specific flood zone designations and historical claim patterns. NFIP records show claims occurring in both high-risk and moderate-to-low risk areas, including 6 claims in Zone A with an average payout of $5,625 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches, and 5 claims in Zone X with an average payout of $7,291 and an average recorded water depth of 277 inches. Residents located in these designated zones and areas prone to rapid stormwater accumulation or rising creek levels should pay the closest attention to local 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 57 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 2021, with 2 claims and $21,169 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.
32 NOAA storm reports from Perry County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Illinois flood stories →
7 federal disaster declarations since 1982.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 19, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Apr 21, 2002 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 28, 1996 |
| Severe Storms & Tornadoes | Jun 5, 1982 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
60 since 1996: 40 flash floods and 20 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 16, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2024 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 4, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Mar 25, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jul 28, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 30, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 16, 2024. Extreme rainfall totals occurred during the morning of the 16th in and around Nashville, Illinois, just northwest of the Quad State region, which resulted in a secondary dam failure. Neighboring portions of Jefferson and Perry Counties received 3-6 and 2-5 inches, respectively. Extensive street flooding occurred in Mount Vernon, while some roads north of Tamaroa flooded for the second time within a week. Through t…
Flash Flood · Jul 16, 2024. Extreme rainfall totals occurred during the morning of the 16th in and around Nashville, Illinois, just northwest of the Quad State region, which resulted in a secondary dam failure. Neighboring portions of Jefferson and Perry Counties received 3-6 and 2-5 inches, respectively. Extensive street flooding occurred in Mount Vernon, while some roads north of Tamaroa flooded for the second time within a week. Through t…
Flash Flood · Jul 12, 2024. Isolated thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours on the 12th in the Quad State. Wind damage occurred in the town of Sesser, including tree and powerline damage. Storms from the previous evening in Sesser might have made some trees more susceptible to damage. Meanwhile, torrential rainfall with nearly stationary storms near Tamaroa produced flash flooding. Isolated storms continued overnight as heavy rai…
Flash Flood · May 4, 2024. A line of thunderstorms moved across Southern Illinois during the evening hours of May 4th. CAPE values were 2500-3000 J/kg but deep layer shear was very weak. Heavy rainfall occurred with the storms, with the highest rainfall totals occurring in Perry County, IL. Storms weakened as they moved eastward.
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 Perry 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.