12 flood insurance claims·$71,380 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 Wayne 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.
Flooding from general floods and summer thunderstorms dominates Wayne County, IL, driven by 68 flood events (resulting in 1 death) and 36 flash flood events recorded over the last 30 years by the NOAA Storm Events Database.
Severe weather impacts are exemplified by conditions on July 19, 2025, when a slow-moving mesoscale convective system combined with precipitable water values of 2.25 inches to produce torrential rainfall rates along and near the I-64 corridor, resulting in multiple reported flood and flash flood events.
Homeowners and real estate agents should pay the most attention to properties in Zone A, which accounted for the majority of FEMA National Flood Insurance Program claims with 8 recorded claims averaging $5,810 in payouts and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Properties in Zone X, which recorded 2 claims averaging $13,876 with an average water depth of 1 inch, along with properties in unknown or unshaded zones, should also review their flood risk and insurance needs.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
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 2013, with 3 claims and $21,979 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.
41 NOAA storm reports from Wayne County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Illinois flood stories →
8 federal disaster declarations since 1989.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Nov 17, 2013 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 19, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Apr 21, 2002 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | May 15, 1990 |
| Severe Storms & Tornadoes | Jan 7, 1989 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
104 since 1996: 36 flash floods and 68 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 19, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2025 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Jul 28, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jul 16, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Aug 1, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 19, 2025. As high pressure slowly crept northward towards the Quad State region, ridging remained over the middle Mississippi River Valley. A slow-moving MCS moved through the northeastern half of the Quad State midday to near sunset. CAPE rose to 1000-2000J/kg in northern portions of Southern Illinois with effective bulk shear around 30kts. Extremely high moisture content with precipitable water values of 2.25in resulted i…
Flash Flood · Jul 19, 2025. As high pressure slowly crept northward towards the Quad State region, ridging remained over the middle Mississippi River Valley. A slow-moving MCS moved through the northeastern half of the Quad State midday to near sunset. CAPE rose to 1000-2000J/kg in northern portions of Southern Illinois with effective bulk shear around 30kts. Extremely high moisture content with precipitable water values of 2.25in resulted i…
Flood · Jul 28, 2024. Training heavy rainfall developed in portions of Southern Illinois during the evening hours on the 28th, with flash flooding developing in Wayne and Saline Counties. Eldorado was hit hard for a second time with rainfall totals around 5 inches, prompting water rescues. Water intruded into buildings including the Ferrell Hospital, which had already been heavily impacted from a flood in May. PW values were up to 2 in…
Flash Flood · Jul 28, 2024. Training heavy rainfall developed in portions of Southern Illinois during the evening hours on the 28th, with flash flooding developing in Wayne and Saline Counties. Eldorado was hit hard for a second time with rainfall totals around 5 inches, prompting water rescues. Water intruded into buildings including the Ferrell Hospital, which had already been heavily impacted from a flood in May. PW values were up to 2 in…
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 Wayne 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.