26 flood insurance claims·$163,253 paid·2 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 Warren 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 severe thunderstorms dominates the flood history of Warren County, which recorded 19 flash flood events compared to 7 general flood events over the last 30 years.
Storm narratives from the NOAA database illustrate these recurring threats. On May 13, 2022, thunderstorms produced severe weather across the region, generating flooding reports especially near Roseville. Heavy rainfall also triggered flash flooding on September 27, 2019, when storms dropped over three inches of rain, and during a stalled storm system on July 10, 2017.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones. Zone A accounts for the majority with 20 claims averaging a $7,753 payout and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Properties with unknown flood zones recorded 3 claims averaging a $22,443 payout and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches, while unshaded Zone X properties recorded 3 claims averaging a $4,909 payout with an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Homeowners in Zone A and properties with undefined or unshaded zone designations should pay the closest attention to local drainage and heavy rainfall forecasts.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
13% of Warren County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
23 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 5 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 2008, with 5 claims and $43,661 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.
5 NOAA storm reports from Warren County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Illinois flood stories →
9 federal disaster declarations since 1993, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 29, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 16, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 20, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Winter Storm 1/1/99 | Jan 1, 1999 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Apr 13, 1993 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
26 since 1996: 19 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 13, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 15, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 10, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 25, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 23, 2010 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 5, 2010 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 13, 2022. A line of showers and thunderstorms developed during the late afternoon of Friday, May 13, 2022 generally along and east of the Mississippi River in northwest Illinois. Some thunderstorms did become severe along that line, and produced all modes of severe weather including hail up to one inch, wind gusts to 60 MPH and three landspout tornadoes. One occurred near Good Hope IL, with the other two just south of Monmo…
Flash Flood · May 15, 2020. Showers and thunderstorms tracked across central Iowa into eastern Iowa, northeast Missouri, and northwest Illinois late Friday afternoon and into the overnight hours. These storms brought heavy rain, frequent lightning, damaging winds, and large hail to the region. The hardest hit areas were Keokuk county in Iowa, towards Henry county in Iowa, where 50-70 mph winds occurred. A weak EF-1 tornado occurred near At…
Flash Flood · Sep 27, 2019. The evening of September 27th, a wave of low pressure moved along a stationary front in eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois, bringing several rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms, and tremendously heavy rains. This resulted in some reports of large hail, but mostly very heavy rain totals over 3 inches. Flash flooding became the primary threat late in the evening, as the storms became continuous over the same a…
Flash Flood · Jul 10, 2017. A stalled boundary produced a couple of rounds of severe storms from the early morning lasting into the afternoon with very heavy rain producing flash flooding, several reports of damaging winds of 60 to 70 mph, and isolated, large hail.
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 Warren 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.