335 flood insurance claims·$6.9M paid·10 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 Pike 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 and standard river flooding driven by severe summer thunderstorms and cold fronts dominate Pike County. NOAA records show 17 flood events and 11 flash flood events, the latter resulting in two deaths over the last 30 years. Recent flash floods are documented from events such as May 2020 and May 2019, when cold fronts and low-pressure systems generated widespread showers and severe storms across the region.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that risk is concentrated in specific zones. Zone A accounts for the vast majority of claims with 248 filings, averaging a payout of $23,592 and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. Properties in Zone X_UNSHADED also face significant risk, recording an average payout of $54,814 across 22 claims with an average water depth of 4 inches,
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
8% of Pike County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
271 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 8 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 1993, with 187 claims and $5.4M paid, the year of Severe Storms & 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.
2 NOAA storm reports from Pike County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Illinois flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 10 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 29, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Dec 10, 2021 |
| 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 | Jul 19, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 1, 2008 |
| Snow | Nov 30, 2006 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
28 since 1996: 11 flash floods and 17 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2020 | — · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | May 29, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2015 | — · 1 killed |
| Flood | Apr 19, 2013 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Apr 12, 2013 | $2,000 |
| Flood | May 1, 2013 | $2,000 |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2013 | $1,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 28, 2020. As a cold front moved through the region, widespread showers and storms developed. Some of the storms produced damaging winds, large hail, flash flooding and even one isolated tornado.
Flash Flood · May 24, 2020. As a weak low pressure system moved northeast through the region, some severe convection developed. Some of the storms produced damaging winds, large hail and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · May 29, 2019. Forecast area was in the warm sector ahead of a strong cold front. Storms developed across the region, some of which produced severe storms.
Flash Flood · Jul 19, 2015. Several rounds of heavy rain moved through portions of the forecast area on the July 19th and 20th. There were several reports of 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 Pike 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.