182 flood insurance claims·$2.7M 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 Randolph 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 general flooding dominate the historical flood record in Randolph County, with NOAA records indicating 19 flash flood events and 12 general flood events over the last 30 years. These events are often driven by slow-moving storms, stationary fronts, and saturated soils, as occurred during heavy rainfall events in July 2021 and August 2020.
National Flood Insurance Program records show that flood losses are heavily concentrated in designated high-risk areas. Properties located in Zone A account for the vast majority of claims with 148 filings, averaging $21,482 per payout and a recorded average water depth of 16 inches. Claims were also recorded in lower-risk zones, including 12 claims in Zone X averaging an $18,148 payout with a 2-inch average water depth, and 19 claims in Zone UNKNOWN averaging $3,878 with a 2-inch average water depth.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A, where the frequency and severity of past flood claims are highest.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
2% of Randolph County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
151 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 14 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 89 claims and $1.6M 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.
3 NOAA storm reports from Randolph County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Illinois flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Feb 24, 2019 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 19, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | May 8, 2009 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 1, 2008 |
| Tornadoes And Severe Storms | Mar 11, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Apr 21, 2002 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 15, 1995 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
31 since 1996: 19 flash floods and 12 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 13, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 12, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 28, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 29, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 15, 2016 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 4, 2025. A stationary front over southern Missouri along with ample mid-level forcing, moisture, and efficient rain processes resulted in flash flooding across portions of southwest and south central Illinois.
Flash Flood · Jul 15, 2021. Training storms moved through portions of southeast Missouri and southwestern Illinois with up to 4 inches of rain in a short amount of time. There were several reports of flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 13, 2020. An upper level disturbance provided large scale ascent and plenty of moisture, producing storms that were efficient rain producers. Up to four inches of rain fell onto already saturated soils causing isolated flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 12, 2020. A quasi-stationary frontal boundary combined with an upper level disturbance to generate slow moving thunderstorms. This produced areas of very heavy rainfall and 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 Randolph 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.