Natural hazards · Champaign

Champaign, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Champaign comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1983.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Champaign?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Champaign to be higher than in 47% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding50%Cold waves22%Tornadoes14%Everything else14%

By hazard

What Champaign faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

50% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

22% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 57% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

14% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Champaign flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Champaign, from FEMA’s records.

3paid claims since 1983

$13Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19832026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Champaign isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Champaign County.

Disasters that hit Champaign

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Champaign County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Champaign itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into ChampaignDeclared for Champaign County only

Champaign County has had 10 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often tornadoes and severe storms.

Around Champaign

Champaign and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Champaignmostly inland floodingHigh

Champaign Citymostly inland floodingHigh

Tolonomostly inland floodingModerate

Champaignmostly inland floodingModerate

Savoymostly inland floodingModerate

Urbanamostly inland floodingModerate

Scottmostly inland floodingLow

Hensleymostly inland floodingLow

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Champaign covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Champaign’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Champaign. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Champaign total about $9.5M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.