Natural hazards · Little Rock

Little Rock, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Little Rock comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1997. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Little Rock?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Little Rock to be higher than in 46% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding41%Cold waves34%Tornadoes17%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Little Rock 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

Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

34% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 21% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

17% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 62 years in the area

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 Little Rock flood?

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

4paid claims since 1997

$301Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19972026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Ike: 2 claims, $176K
Mid-spring storms: 1 claim, $101K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Kendall County.

Disasters that hit Little Rock

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into Little RockDeclared for Kendall County only

2000

Illinois Winter Snow Storms

$2K to the Township of Little Rock for repairs

1999

Il-Winter Storm 1/1/99

$3K to the Township of Little Rock for repairs

Kendall County has had 11 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and floods.

Around Little Rock

Little Rock and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Bristolmostly inland floodingHigh

Little Rockmostly inland floodingModerate

Foxmostly inland floodingLow

Sandwichmostly inland floodingLow

Big Rockmostly 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. Little Rock covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Little Rock’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Little Rock. 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 Little Rock total about $7.3M 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.