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IL116wIL78sRoadSignsSplit-Farmington (38701184044)Photo: formulanone from Huntsville, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Farmington · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Farmington faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Farmington gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%), then tornadoes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1982.

River and rain flooding 64%Tornadoes 16%Hail 9%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

less than 55%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B
in Illinois · lower than 55% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
64% of expected building damage
Flood claims
6
paid since 1982 · $57K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 17 declared for Fulton County
By hazard

What Farmington faces

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

River and rain flooding

64%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

16%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Lightning Winter storms Hurricanes Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 20% of Farmington’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Farmington’s grade

River and rain flooding is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Farmington, and Farmington’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 16%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Farmington sits
Farmington
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Farmington’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding64%Tornadoes16%Hail9%Everything else12%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Farmington: $638K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Farmington’s 2,389 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Farmington flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1982

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Farmington, from FEMA’s records: 6.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1982: 2 claims1983: 1 claim1984: 0 claims1985: 2 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 1 claim2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198219831985
19822026
Biggest named events
  • The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $23K
6
paid claims since 1982
$57K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$9K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Farmington isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Fulton County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Farmington

Disasters that paid out in Farmington itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Farmington), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding12 households applied for aid$38K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$6K to the City of Farmington for repairs
  3. 2006Snow$5K to the City of Farmington for repairs
  4. 2000Illinois Winter Snow Storms$2K to the City of Farmington for repairs
  5. 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$5K to the City of Farmington for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in FarmingtonFulton County only

Fulton County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Farmington after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Farmington archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Farmington faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Farmington

Is Farmington at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Farmington has lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%) and tornadoes (16%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Farmington flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Farmington since 1982, $57K in all, or 6.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (1).

Is Farmington in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Fulton County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Farmington?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Farmington’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Farmington?

By FEMA money that reached Farmington, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2013): 12 households applied for aid, $38K approved. By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 1 paid, $23K.

Is Farmington at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Farmington’s rate for it is lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Farmington.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Farmington’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.