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Natural hazards · Elgin

Elgin, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Elgin comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 140 claims here since 1978. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Elgin?

48
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Elgin to be higher than in 48% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding50%Cold waves27%Tornadoes18%Everything else6%
By hazard

What Elgin 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 71% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

27% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 24% of U.S. places
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

18% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 81% 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 Elgin flood?

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

140paid claims since 1978
$2.1Mpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Hurricane Ike: 31 claims, $714K
  • Mid-spring storms: 22 claims, $386K
  • Midwest Flooding: 2 claims, $2K
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Elgin isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Kane County.
Disasters that hit Elgin

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Elgin itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Township of Elgin.

Brought FEMA money into ElginDeclared for Kane County only
2013

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

95 households applied for aid $56K aid approved
2008

Severe Storms and Flooding

165 households applied for aid $344K aid approved
2007

Severe Storms and Flooding

29 households applied for aid $33K aid approved
Kane County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.
Around Elgin

Elgin and the towns around it

St. Charles: Moderate, mostly inland floodingPlato: Low, mostly inland floodingElgin: Moderate, mostly inland floodingDundee: Very low, mostly inland floodingSouth Elgin: Moderate, mostly inland floodingHanover: Low, mostly cold wavesRutland: Low, mostly inland floodingCampton: Low, mostly inland floodingSt. Charles: Low, mostly inland floodingGeneva: Low, mostly inland floodingGeneva: Low, mostly inland floodingCampton Hills: Low, mostly inland floodingWayne: Low, mostly inland floodingWest Chicago: Very low, mostly inland floodingBurlington: Very low, mostly inland floodingHampshire: Low, mostly inland floodingWest Dundee: Very low, mostly inland floodingBartlett: Low, mostly inland floodingPingree Grove: Low, mostly inland floodingGilberts: Low, mostly inland floodingSleepy Hollow: Very low, mostly inland floodingAlgonquin: Moderate, mostly inland floodingBarrington: Very low, mostly inland floodingAlgonquin: Very low, mostly inland floodingBarrington Hills: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSchaumburg: Low, mostly inland floodingGrafton: Low, mostly inland floodingHampshire: Low, mostly inland floodingHuntley: Moderate, mostly inland floodingElgin: Moderate, mostly inland flooding ElginSt. CharlesPlatoElginDundeeSouth ElginHanoverRutland
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Elginmostly inland floodingModerate
South Elginmostly inland floodingModerate
Elginmostly inland floodingModerate
St. Charlesmostly inland floodingModerate
Platomostly inland floodingLow
Hanovermostly cold wavesLow
Rutlandmostly inland floodingLow
Dundeemostly inland floodingVery low
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. Elgin covers 20 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Elgin’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Elgin. 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 Elgin total about $38.8M 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.

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You’re in Elgin, ILKane CountyView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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