93 flood insurance claims·$326,830 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 Schuyler 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 severe summer thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Schuyler County, supported by 32 recorded flash flood events compared to 13 general flood events over the last 30 years. Heavy rainfall rates from slow-moving fronts and storm clusters frequently produce localized inundation, such as the October 2021 storms that brought 2 to 4 inches of rain and subsequent flash flooding, and the July 2018 event that left 1 to 2 feet of water flowing across roads in Rushville.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks affect properties across multiple zones, with the highest number of claims originating from areas with unknown zone designations (59 claims, averaging 2 inches of recorded water depth and a $2,249 payout) and Zone A (27 claims, averaging 7 inches of recorded water depth and a $6,624 payout). Meanwhile, properties in shaded and unshaded Zone X experienced fewer claims but higher average severity, including Zone X_SHADED claims averaging 10 inches of recorded water depth and an $18,554 payout.
Homeowners and real estate agents in mapped Special Flood Hazard Areas like Zone A, as well as property owners in unmapped or unknown zones, should pay the closest attention to local drainage conditions and heavy rainfall warnings.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
18% of Schuyler County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
33 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 4 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 1982, with 36 claims and $64,668 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes & 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.
12 NOAA storm reports from Schuyler County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Illinois flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 6, 2003 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Apr 21, 2002 |
| Winter Storm 1/1/99 | Jan 1, 1999 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
45 since 1996: 32 flash floods and 13 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 13, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 12, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 24, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Apr 29, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 29, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 15, 2015 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 13, 2022. A slow-moving cold front interacting with a seasonably warm and moist airmass triggered a broken line of strong to severe thunderstorms across west-central Illinois during the late afternoon and early evening of May 13th. One of the strongest cells within the line dropped golf ball-sized hail near Brooklyn in Schuyler County. Other storms produced excessive rainfall rates that led to minor flash flooding across…
Flash Flood · Jun 12, 2022. Areas of low pressure tracking along a stationary frontal boundary draped across central Illinois triggered two large thunderstorm clusters during the morning of June 12th. One cluster impacted Champaign and Vermilion Counties, causing minor wind damage and dropping hail as large as ping pong balls. The second cluster formed further west and brought damaging wind gusts, large hail, and flash flooding to portions…
Flash Flood · Oct 24, 2021. Low pressure tracking from near Kansas City around midday on October 24th into central Illinois during the evening of the 24th triggered two distinct bands of pre-frontal convection. Some of the storms produced damaging wind gusts of 60 to 70mph and hail as large as golf balls. In addition, heavy rainfall of 2 to 4 inches occurred...which led to localized flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jul 14, 2018. Widely scattered strong to severe thunderstorms developed along a stationary frontal boundary during the afternoon of July 14th. One cell downed numerous trees in Altamont in Effingham County, while other storms produced half dollar-sized hail in Table Grove in Fulton County. In addition, locally heavy rainfall produced flash flooding in Rushville in Schuyler County, where many roads had 1 to 2 feet of water flo…
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 Schuyler 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.