53
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$190K
Property damage
Flash Flood in Shelby County, Illinois: 53 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #561 nationally and #8 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Shelby County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Shelby County is the 2000s, when 21 of the county's 53 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Shelby County archive, flash flood makes up 17.0% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #561 for this hazard and #8 within Illinois, putting it in the 81.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for flash flood in Shelby County with 16 recorded events, while Nov is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2022 | SHELBY CO ARPT | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21, 2025 | YANTISVILLE | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 21, 2025 | COWDEN | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 9, 2022 | YANTISVILLE | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 9, 2022 | OBED | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 9, 2022 | TROWBRIDGE | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 4, 2022 | SHELBY CO ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 17, 2022 | LAKEWOOD | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 17, 2022 | STEWARDSON | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 31, 2022 | SHELBY CO ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 12, 2021 | MOWEAQUA | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Shelby County
- Thunderstorm Wind 143
- Hail 65
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A man tried to drive across a flooded road near the intersection of 1600 East and County highway 26 southwest of Shelbyville on the morning of March 31st. His car was pushed off the road by the current, and he was swept away after exiting the vehicle. 24-hour rainfall in the area ranged from 2.5 to 3 inches.
Rainfall amounts around 2.00 overnight fell on already saturated ground. This resulted in widespread flash flooding across northern Shelby County. Rural roads, especially those in the vicinity of Lake Shelbyville, were impassable.
Early morning thunderstorms with very heavy rainfall produced flash flooding in extreme southern Shelby County for the second time in less than 24 hours. Reports indicated that 2.00 to 3.00 of rain occurred in areas with very saturated ground and where flash flooding has just receded. Illinois Route 128 south of Shelbyville was closed all morning, and most rural roads in the southern part of the county were impassable.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Shelby County, Illinois?
53 flash flood events are recorded in Shelby County between 1996 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Shelby County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Shelby County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Shelby County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Shelby County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/shelby-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.