Natural hazards · May

May, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in May comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2000.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is May?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in May to be higher than in 53% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and drought.

Inland flooding34%Drought19%Earthquakes17%Cold waves15%Tornadoes5%Everything else11%

By hazard

What May faces

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

Inland flooding

34% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 53% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Drought

19% of expected damage

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

17% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Cold waves

15% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 55% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

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 May flood?

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

3paid claims since 2000

$14Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20002026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Christian County.

Disasters that hit May

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into MayDeclared for Christian County only

Christian County has had 6 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and severe storms.

Around May

May and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Maymostly inland floodingModerate

Stoningtonmostly inland floodingModerate

Prairietonmostly inland floodingModerate

Locustmostly inland floodingModerate

Assumptionmostly inland floodingModerate

Taylorvillemostly cold wavesLow

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. May covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to May’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of May. 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 May total about $2.3M 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.