Natural hazards · Sonora

Sonora, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Sonora comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 30 claims here since 1993.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Sonora?

High

vs. U.S. communities

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

Inland flooding39%Cold waves15%Heat waves13%Drought11%Strong wind8%Tornadoes6%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Sonora faces

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

Inland flooding

39% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Cold waves

15% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 56% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Heat waves

13% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 93% of U.S. places

Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Drought

11% of expected damage

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Strong wind

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 13 years 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 Sonora flood?

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

30paid claims since 1993

$644Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19932026

Biggest named events

Midwest Flooding: 22 claims, $588K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Hancock County.

Disasters that hit Sonora

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into SonoraDeclared for Hancock County only

Hancock County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Sonora

Sonora and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Rock Creekmostly inland floodingVery high

Sonoramostly inland floodingHigh

Appanoosemostly inland floodingHigh

Nauvoomostly inland floodingHigh

Montebellomostly inland floodingHigh

Sanduskymostly 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. Sonora covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Sonora’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Sonora. 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 Sonora total about $1.3M 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.