Natural hazards · Princeton

Princeton, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Princeton comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Princeton?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

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

Inland flooding43%Tornadoes24%Cold waves14%Strong wind6%Everything else14%

By hazard

What Princeton faces

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

Inland flooding

43% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 29% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

24% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places

Cold waves

14% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 17% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Strong wind

6% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

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 Princeton flood?

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

6paid claims since 1979

$29Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Bureau County.

Disasters that hit Princeton

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into PrincetonDeclared for Bureau County only

Bureau County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.

Around Princeton

Princeton and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Wyanetmostly inland floodingLow

Arispiemostly inland floodingLow

Selbymostly inland floodingLow

Princetonmostly inland floodingLow

Dovermostly inland floodingLow

Princetonmostly 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. Princeton covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

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