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Natural hazards · Sparta

Sparta, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Sparta comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1993.

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

How exposed is Sparta?

60
High
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Sparta to be higher than in 60% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and strong winds.

Inland flooding33%Strong wind18%Cold waves13%Tornadoes12%Heat waves7%Drought6%Everything else11%
By hazard

What Sparta faces

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

Inland flooding

33% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Strong wind

18% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Cold waves

13% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. places
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

12% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Heat waves

7% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. places
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Drought

6% of expected damage
Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesIce 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 Sparta flood?

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

1paid claims since 1993
$24Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19932026

Biggest named events

  • Midwest Flooding: 1 claim, $24K
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Sparta isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Knox County.
Disasters that hit Sparta

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into SpartaDeclared for Knox County only
Knox County has had 9 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.
Around Sparta

Sparta and the towns around it

Copley: Moderate, mostly inland floodingHenderson: High, mostly inland floodingKnox: Moderate, mostly inland floodingOntario: Moderate, mostly inland floodingPersifer: High, mostly inland floodingWalnut Grove: Moderate, mostly inland floodingVictoria: Moderate, mostly inland floodingGalesburg: High, mostly inland floodingGalesburg City: High, mostly inland floodingRio: Moderate, mostly inland floodingKelly: High, mostly droughtGalesburg: Moderate, mostly inland floodingEast Galesburg: Moderate, mostly inland floodingOrange: High, mostly inland floodingKnoxville: Low, mostly inland floodingClover: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSparta: High, mostly inland flooding SpartaCopleyHendersonKnoxOntario
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Hendersonmostly inland floodingHigh
Spartamostly inland floodingHigh
Copleymostly inland floodingModerate
Ontariomostly inland floodingModerate
Knoxmostly 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. Sparta covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Sparta’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Sparta. 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 Sparta total about $1.2M 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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