Natural hazards · Melrose

Melrose, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Melrose comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 20 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Melrose?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Melrose to be higher than in 78% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding51%Cold waves13%Heat waves11%Strong wind7%Tornadoes6%Drought5%Everything else7%

By hazard

What Melrose faces

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

Inland flooding

51% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 91% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

13% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 52% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Heat waves

11% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. places

Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Strong wind

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 95% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 19 years in the area

Drought

5% of expected damage

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

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 Melrose flood?

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

20paid claims since 1979

$487Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Mid-spring storms: 6 claims, $271K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Adams County.

Disasters that hit Melrose

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into MelroseDeclared for Adams County only

Adams County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Melrose

Melrose and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Melrosemostly inland floodingHigh

Fall Creekmostly inland floodingHigh

Riversidemostly inland floodingHigh

Quincymostly inland floodingModerate

Ellingtonmostly inland floodingModerate

Burtonmostly inland floodingModerate

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. Melrose covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Melrose’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Melrose. 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 Melrose total about $3.0M 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.