2,295 flood insurance claims·$21.1M 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 Will 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.
Flood risk in Will County is characterized predominantly by flash flooding and standard flooding from summer thunderstorms. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 86 flood events resulting in 1 death and 65 flash flood events resulting in 2 deaths.
Recent weather events illustrate this persistent threat. During August 2025, a series of storms brought torrential rainfall and widespread flooding to the Chicago metro area, impacting south and west suburbs. Additional heavy rain and flash flooding occurred in July 2025 from isolated and scattered thunderstorms moving across northern Illinois.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that property owners across multiple zones face financial risk. Zone A has accumulated the highest claim volume with 1,515 claims averaging $12,243 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Zone X properties have also experienced losses, recording 236 claims with an average payout of $15,123 and an average water depth of 7 inches, while Zone X unshaded properties averaged 6 inches of water across 113 claims. Property owners in Zone A and Zone X, as well as those with unknown zone designations—which accounted for 335 claims averaging an average 2 inches of water depth—should pay the closest attention to flood risk.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
12% of Will County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,724 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 6 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 1996, with 608 claims and $6.9M 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.
46 NOAA storm reports from Will County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Illinois flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Floodng | Jul 13, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Nov 17, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 16, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 13, 2008 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 20, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Apr 20, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
151 since 1996: 65 flash floods and 86 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 25, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 18, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2025 | $1.0M |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2025 | $250,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 17, 2025 | $1.0M |
| Flash Flood | Aug 12, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 2, 2025 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 25, 2025. Isolated thunderstorms produced funnel clouds across central Illinois during the late morning of July 25th. A narrow line of thunderstorms developed over southeast DuPage and central Cook Counties during the late morning of July 25th and continued into the early afternoon producing torrential rainfall and widespread flash flooding. Scattered thunderstorms moved across portions of northern Illinois during the lat…
Flood · Jun 18, 2025. A large system of low pressure produced widespread thunderstorms which impacted northern Illinois on the 18th. The storms produced damaging winds and torrential rainfall leading to instances of minor flooding during the early afternoon with additional heavy rain continuing into the evening.
Flash Flood · Aug 18, 2025. During the afternoon and evening of the 18th, a few rounds of thunderstorms brought torrential rainfall to much of northern Illinois resulting in flash flooding. One particularly strong storm also produced damaging winds in DeKalb County. Initial reports estimate $8.8 million in flood damages around northern and northeast Illinois, and around $2.5 million in the city of Chicago alone.
Flash Flood · Aug 17, 2025. A series of thunderstorms brought torrential rainfall and widespread flooding to much of the Chicago metro area, namely the south and west suburbs and up into the city of Chicago. Several Oswego District 308 schools received water and storm damage. Flood damages were estimated at around $288 million across the metro area, most of which came from the city of Chicago which alone accounted for roughly $230 million 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 Will 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.