25 flood insurance claims·$198,525 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 Richland 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 character of Richland County. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 32 flash flood events compared to 6 general flood events. Recent incidents demonstrate this pattern, such as in August 2022, when continuous back-building storm cells produced heavy rainfall exceeding 8 inches across northeastern Richland County. Similarly, in May 2019, heavy rainfall of 1 to 2 inches falling in a short period caused several county roads north of US-50 to flood.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that properties located within Zone A face the most frequent historical risk, accounting for 24 claims with an average payout of $7,072 and an average recorded water depth of 12 inches. An additional claim was recorded in an unknown zone with an average payout of $28,789 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated within Zone A, where historical claims and recorded water depths demonstrate consistent local flood exposure.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Richland County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
24 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 12 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 11 claims and $144,115 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.
14 NOAA storm reports from Richland County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Illinois flood stories →
8 federal disaster declarations since 1990.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Record/near Record Snow | Dec 21, 2004 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Apr 21, 2002 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 28, 1996 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | May 15, 1990 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
38 since 1996: 32 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 1, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 23, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 11, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 8, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Apr 29, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 29, 2017 | — |
| Flood | May 11, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 10, 2017 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 inches from eastern Effi…
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 in Richland County.
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 addition, excessive r…
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 amounts ranging from 5…
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 Richland 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.