88 flood insurance claims·$1.4M 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 White 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.
River overflow dominates White County's flood profile, accounting for 202 recorded flood events compared to 25 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Recent history underscores this pattern, such as in April 2024 when above-normal rainfall upstream on the White, Wabash, and Ohio Rivers caused minor flooding of low-lying areas, rural roads, agriculture, and oil wells. Long-lingering river flooding continued into May 2025, where heavy rainfall pushed water levels back into minor flood stage at Carmi for another week following a major April event.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, led by Zone A with 58 claims averaging a $19,908 payout and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Zone X unshaded recorded 8 claims with an average payout of $46,282 and an average water depth of 6 inches, while shaded Zone X recorded 9 claims averaging a $9,499 payout with an average depth of 8 inches. Zone X standard recorded 6 claims averaging $22,243 with an average depth of 2 inches, and unknown zones recorded 7 claims averaging $6,721 with an average depth of 4 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists near the county's major river systems and low-lying agricultural areas should pay the closest attention to flood risks, particularly properties located in Zone A and various designations of Zone X.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
23% of White County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
75 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 2011, with 28 claims and $809,076 paid, the year of Severe Storms and 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.
81 NOAA storm reports from White County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Illinois flood stories →
10 federal disaster declarations since 1983.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 19, 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 |
| Severe Storms & Tornadoes | Jan 7, 1989 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Jun 6, 1983 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
227 since 1996: 25 flash floods and 202 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 4, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 11, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Mar 26, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Mar 25, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Mar 5, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Apr 1, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jul 27, 2022 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 4, 2025. Long-lingering flooding from the major flood event in April resulted in minor flooding at Carmi to start May. River levels briefly dropped below flood stage May 3rd; however, heavy rainfall the night of May 3rd into early morning the 4th pushed water levels back into minor flood for another week.
Flood · May 1, 2025. Long-lingering flooding from the major flood event in April resulted in minor flooding at Carmi to start May. River levels briefly dropped below flood stage May 3rd; however, heavy rainfall the night of May 3rd into early morning the 4th pushed water levels back into minor flood for another week.
Flood · Apr 11, 2024. Well above normal rainfall upstream on the White, Wabash, and Ohio Rivers late March through mid-April led to minor flooding occurring mid-month along the Wabash River and just downstream of the Wabash/Ohio confluence in Southeast Illinois. River crests occurred between the 19th and 21st, with a swift decline in river levels bringing an end of flooding shortly after. Flooding of low-lying areas occurred, with limi…
Flood · Mar 26, 2023. A nearly stationary front draped itself from central Texas northeast through the Ohio River Valley and produced multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms, some with very heavy rainfall. Scattered showers and thunderstorms resulted in several cases of flooding or flash flooding. One to three inches of rain fell across the region with isolated higher amounts before the front passed east on the 25th. Moderate to h…
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 White 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.