Natural hazards · Fairmont

Fairmont, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Fairmont comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1981.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Fairmont?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Fairmont to be higher than in 27% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding41%Cold waves31%Tornadoes22%Everything else7%

By hazard

What Fairmont faces

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

Inland flooding

41% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 48% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Cold waves

31% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 18% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

22% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% 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 Fairmont flood?

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

10paid claims since 1981

$17Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19812026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Will County.

Disasters that hit Fairmont

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into FairmontDeclared for Will County only

Will County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Fairmont

Fairmont and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Jolietmostly inland floodingHigh

Jolietmostly inland floodingModerate

Lockportmostly inland floodingLow

Fairmontmostly inland floodingLow

Lockportmostly 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. Fairmont covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Fairmont’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Fairmont. 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 Fairmont total about $917K 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.