Monmouth’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Monmouth comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1986. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Monmouth’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Monmouth flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1986
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Monmouth, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Ike1 claim · $4K
Monmouth isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Warren County.How exposed is Monmouth?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 50% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.
Calmer than 1,715 of the 2,886 Illinois towns we cover.
Monmouth covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
What Monmouth faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Cold waves
Heat waves
Tornadoes
Hail
Strong wind
4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Monmouth
Disasters that paid out in Monmouth itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Monmouth) and its biggest flood years.
- 2013Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding38 households applied for aid$80K aid approved
- 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$8K to the City of Monmouth for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$83K to the City of Monmouth for repairs
- 1999Il-Winter Storm 1/1/99$13K to the City of Monmouth for repairs
Warren County has had 7 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Old photos of Monmouth after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Monmouth archive →Get ready for what Monmouth actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- Know the nearest cooling center or air-conditioned library.
- Drink water before you feel thirsty.
- Check on neighbors who live alone.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Monmouth’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Monmouth.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Monmouth, expected losses total about $2.8M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Monmouth.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.