Enter any address in Richland County, Illinois to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from heavy rainfall events is the primary flood hazard in Richland County. Over the past 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database has recorded 32 flash flood events compared to 6 general flood events. Recent examples include flash flooding on August 1-2, 2022, when storms produced over 8 inches of rain in parts of the county, and localized flooding on May 23, 2019, after 1-2 inches of rain fell in a short period, inundating county roads.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data indicates that properties in Zone A have experienced 21 claims with an average payout of $7,562 and an average water depth of 11.3 feet. One claim was recorded in Zone UNKNOWN with a significantly higher average payout of $28,789. Homeowners in Zone A, and those in areas with unknown flood risk, should pay particular attention to flood preparedness and potential insurance needs.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
14 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Richland County, Illinois has recorded 38 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 32 flash floods and 6 river or area floods. The county has received 8 federal disaster declarations. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1990–2020)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Hurricane | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Record/near Record Snow | Snowstorm | Dec 21, 2004 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Tornado | Apr 21, 2002 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Apr 28, 1996 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Severe Storm | May 15, 1990 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 1, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 23, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 11, 2018 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 8, 2018 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Apr 29, 2017 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Apr 29, 2017 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 11, 2017 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 10, 2017 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 4, 2017 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 4, 2017 | 0.00K |
Flash Flood — Aug 1, 2022
An outflow boundary from convection earlier in the day served as the primary focusing mechanism for numerous storm clusters along and south of I-70 from the late afternoon of August 1st into the pre-dawn hours of August 2nd. Some of the storms dropped very large hail up to 2 inches in diameter. In addition, continuous back-building cells produced a swath of heavy rainfall in excess of 8 inch...
Flash Flood — May 23, 2019
A cold front sagging into southeast Illinois triggered showers and thunderstorms south of the I-70 corridor during the morning of May 23rd. One cell produced a brief tornado southwest of Xenia in Clay County, while other storms dropped heavy rainfall and caused localized flash flooding. With 1-2 inches of rain falling in a short period of time, several county roads north of US-50 were flooded...
Flash Flood — Jun 11, 2018
A series of weak impulses interacted with a stationary frontal boundary extending from northeast Missouri to southwest Indiana to produce several rounds of thunderstorms across south-central Illinois from the evening of June 11th into the morning of June 12th. The strongest cells produced damaging wind gusts of around 60mph and hail as large as golf balls during the evening of June 11th. In a...
Flash Flood — Sep 8, 2018
Heavy rain impacted central and southeast Illinois as the remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon tracked from Arkansas during the afternoon of September 7th to southern Ohio by the afternoon of September 9th. The rainfall was further enhanced by a weak cold front dropping southward out of the Upper Midwest. Rainfall was heaviest south of I-70 in closer proximity to the track of the storm, with amo...
Flood — Apr 29, 2017
Heavy rainfall impacted central and southeast Illinois from April 29th into April 30th...creating flash flooding, which led to widespread areal flooding. Periods of thunderstorms with very high rainfall rates dropped 2.00 to 6.50 inches of rain across much of central and southeast Illinois from April 29th into early on May 1st. This rainfall, occurring on top of already saturated soils, created...
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 Richland 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 Richland 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.