Natural hazards · Wilmington

Wilmington, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Wilmington comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 215 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Wilmington?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Wilmington to be higher than in 67% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding67%Tornadoes13%Cold waves13%Everything else7%

By hazard

What Wilmington faces

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

Inland flooding

67% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

13% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Cold waves

13% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 18% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

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 Wilmington flood?

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

215paid claims since 1978

$2.0Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Ike: 17 claims, $239K
Mid-spring storms: 11 claims, $51K
Early winter storms: 1 claim, $950

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Will County.

Disasters that hit Wilmington

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into WilmingtonDeclared for Will County only

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

Around Wilmington

Wilmington and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Wilmingtonmostly inland floodingHigh

Felixmostly inland floodingHigh

Goose Lakemostly inland floodingHigh

Channahonmostly inland floodingModerate

Reedmostly inland floodingVery low

Florencemostly inland floodingVery low

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. Wilmington covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Wilmington’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Wilmington. 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 Wilmington total about $4.9M 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.