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Flood in Ford 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.
Ford County, Illinois, has 37 flood events in the NCEI record since 1950, with at least one in 21 different years.
August is the busiest month, with 9 of the recorded events. The last 20 years account for 28 events against 9 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 7.6 per 100 square miles compares with 11.7 statewide.
Compared with Illinois
| Measure | Ford County | Illinois | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flood events since 1950 | 37 | 6,507 | 183,559 |
| Per 100 square miles | 7.6 | 11.7 | 5.2 |
| Per 10,000 residents | 27.4 | 5.1 | 5.5 |
| Deaths recorded | 0 | 61 | 2,961 |
| Busiest month | August | June | June |
By year
Seasonality
2Feb
4Mar
0Apr
2May
5Jun
8Jul
5Aug
9Sep
0Oct
1Nov
1Dec
0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Apr 2026 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 29 Jun 2025 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 18 Jun 2025 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 16 Aug 2024 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Aug 2023 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 22 Feb 2023 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 22 Feb 2023 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 24 Oct 2021 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 12 Aug 2021 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 12 Aug 2021 | Flash Flood | — | $12M | $200K | — | — | County |
| 22 Jun 2020 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 6 Aug 2018 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 10 Jun 2018 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 18 Nov 2017 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Jul 2015 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 12 Jul 2014 | Flash Flood | — | $500K | — | — | — | County |
| 11 May 2014 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 22 Jun 2013 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 1 Jun 2013 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 31 May 2013 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 7 May 2012 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 6 May 2012 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 22 Apr 2011 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 21 Jun 2010 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Jul 2009 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Feb 2008 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 4 Feb 2008 | Flash Flood | — | $500K | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Jan 2008 | Flood | — | $500K | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Jan 2005 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 16 Jun 2004 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 2 Aug 2003 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 18 Jul 2003 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 23 Aug 2002 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Aug 2002 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Aug 2002 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 12 May 2002 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 6 Jul 1998 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
Questions and answers
How many flood events has Ford 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 Ford County?
27 Apr 2026 (Flood). Records reach NCEI about 120 days after the month ends.
What was the most damaging flood event recorded in Ford County?
The flash flood of 12 Aug 2021, with property damage estimated by NCEI at $12M and crop damage at $200K.
How does Ford County compare with Illinois for flood?
7.6 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.