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Flood in Douglas County, Illinois
37 floods and flash floods events in the NCEI Storm Events record, 1950 to 2026. Event types counted: Flood, Flash Flood, Coastal Flood, Lakeshore Flood.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. Storm records through 30 Jun 2026.
Douglas County, Illinois, has 37 flood events in the NCEI record since 1950, with at least one in 17 different years.
May is the busiest month, with 12 of the recorded events. The last 20 years account for 26 events against 11 in the 20 years before, a change that reflects reporting practice as much as weather.
The county holds 0.6% of the 6,507 flood events recorded in Illinois; its 8.9 per 100 square miles compares with 11.7 statewide.
Compared with Illinois
| Measure | Douglas County | Illinois | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flood events since 1950 | 37 | 6,507 | 183,559 |
| Per 100 square miles | 8.9 | 11.7 | 5.2 |
| Per 10,000 residents | 18.8 | 5.1 | 5.5 |
| Deaths recorded | 0 | 61 | 2,961 |
| Busiest month | May | June | June |
By year
Seasonality
1Feb
2Mar
0Apr
4May
12Jun
10Jul
5Aug
1Sep
0Oct
0Nov
0Dec
2
Recorded events
All 37 events, most recent first. Magnitude is hail size, tornado rating or wind speed as recorded.
| Date | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Jun 2026 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Jun 2026 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 19 May 2024 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 26 Aug 2021 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 3 Jun 2020 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Jan 2020 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 4 May 2017 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 4 May 2017 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 1 May 2017 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 29 Apr 2017 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 29 Apr 2017 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 27 Dec 2015 | Flood | — | $2.2M | — | — | — | County |
| 26 Dec 2015 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Jun 2015 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Jun 2015 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 21 May 2014 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 27 Jun 2011 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Jul 2010 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Jul 2010 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 26 May 2010 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 14 May 2009 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Feb 2009 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 4 Jun 2008 | Flood | — | $510K | — | — | — | County |
| 3 Jun 2008 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 3 Jun 2008 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Feb 2008 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 9 Jul 2003 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 10 May 2003 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 12 May 2002 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 12 May 2002 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 21 Apr 2002 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Apr 2002 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 9 Jul 2001 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Jul 2000 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 12 Jun 1997 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 10 May 1996 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 8 May 1996 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
Questions and answers
How many flood events has Douglas County had?
37 events in the NCEI Storm Events record between 1950 and 2026. Reporting of floods and flash floods became far more complete after 1996, so early decades undercount.
When was the last recorded flood event in Douglas County?
17 Jun 2026 (Flash Flood). Records reach NCEI about 120 days after the month ends.
What was the most damaging flood event recorded in Douglas County?
The flood of 27 Dec 2015, with property damage estimated by NCEI at $2.2M.
How does Douglas County compare with Illinois for flood?
8.9 events per 100 square miles against 11.7 statewide; the county holds 37 of the state's 6,507 recorded events.
Provenance
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026, public domain. County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county (marked "Forecast zone"). Population and area from the US Census Bureau (2021). Built 1 Oct 2026. See the methodology, the Flood hub and the county page.