193 flood insurance claims·$3.5M paid·4 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 Stephenson 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 risk in Stephenson County, IL, accounting for 40 events and 2 deaths over the last 30 years alongside 16 standard flood events recorded by the NOAA Storm Events Database.
Severe storms bring heavy rainfall and torrential downpours to the region, as demonstrated in August 2022 when rainfall amounts between 5 and 11 inches fell in eastern Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties, causing numerous road closures and floodwaters. Another flash flood event occurred on July 14, 2024, when severe thunderstorms produced wind damage and heavy rainfall across northwest Illinois.
Homeowners and real estate agents should pay the most attention to properties located in FEMA Zone A, which holds the highest concentration of historical claims with 132 claims averaging a $17,213 payout and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. However, properties in Zone X also carry significant risk, accounting for 41 claims with a higher average payout of $47,279 and an average water depth of 7 inches, indicating that flood exposure extends beyond high-risk zones.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
8% of Stephenson County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
144 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 2017, with 35 claims and $1.5M 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.
24 NOAA storm reports from Stephenson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Illinois flood stories →
14 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Feb 24, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 19, 2010 |
| Record Snow And Near Record Snow | Feb 5, 2008 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 7, 2007 |
| Snow | Nov 30, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 17, 1996 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
56 since 1996: 40 flash floods and 16 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 7, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Mar 16, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 12, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 10, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Feb 19, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 14, 2024. Severe thunderstorms produced wind damage and heavy rainfall as the storms sagged southeastward across northwest Illinois on the evening of July 14th. The strongest thunderstorms occurred from the Quad Cities southeastward through Henry County and into southern Bureau and Putnam Counties.
Flash Flood · Aug 8, 2022. Two rounds of showers and thunderstorms tracked from northeast Iowa into northern Illinois Sunday morning, and again early Monday morning, bringing torrential rain and occasional lightning to the region. Rainfall amounts over 2 inches were common northeast of a line from Cedar Rapids, to De Witt, to Prophetstown IL. The highest amounts between 5 and 11 inches fell in eastern Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties in…
Flash Flood · Aug 7, 2022. Two rounds of showers and thunderstorms tracked from northeast Iowa into northern Illinois Sunday morning, and again early Monday morning, bringing torrential rain and occasional lightning to the region. Rainfall amounts over 2 inches were common northeast of a line from Cedar Rapids, to De Witt, to Prophetstown IL. The highest amounts between 5 and 11 inches fell in eastern Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties in…
Flood · Mar 16, 2019. Significant flooding occurred across northwest Illinois during March of 2019. Moderate to major flooding was observed on Illinois tributary rivers due to snowmelt, saturated soils, and rainfall from March 9th to 12th. The higher crests occurred on the Rock and Pecatonica Rivers in Illinois during the 2nd and 3rd weeks of March.
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 Stephenson 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.