Macon County, IL Environment & Hazard Risk

• Cold waveRelatively High$7.54M/yr expected annual loss, about 3.2 events a year
• Heat waveRelatively Moderate$2.89M/yr expected annual loss, about 7.3 events a year
• EarthquakeRelatively Low$4.85M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 357 years
• Strong windRelatively High$1.81M/yr expected annual loss, about 5.0 events a year
• DroughtRelatively Moderate$1.3M/yr expected annual loss, about 2.1 events a year
• TornadoRelatively Moderate$5.23M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
• HailRelatively Moderate$1.1M/yr expected annual loss, about 3.2 events a year
• Winter weatherRelatively Moderate$177K/yr expected annual loss, about 8.6 events a year
• LightningRelatively Moderate$574K/yr expected annual loss, about 48 events a year
• Ice stormRelatively Moderate$167K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.4 events a year
• LandslideVery Low$1,456/yr expected annual loss, about once every 8 years
• HurricaneVery Low$22.84K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 69 years
• WildfireVery Low$7,601/yr expected annual loss, about once every 24,173 years

Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: avalanche, coastal flooding, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.

Check the flood zone for an address

Homes with flood insurance

87 of 42,339 (0.2%)

Homes in high-risk flood zones

347

Insured in high-risk zones

66 (19%)

Flood claims since 1978

208

Claims paid since 1978

$1.43M

• Thunderstorm Wind234
• Hail139
• Tornado52
• Flash Flood43
• High Wind29 · 1 death
• Heavy Snow20
• Winter Storm17
• Drought15
• Winter Weather9 · 1 death
• Heat7

• Drought09/01/2012

  Macon

  $46.3M damage

  What happened

  Thanks to beneficial rainfall of 2 to 4 inches from the remnants of Hurricane Issac, Macon County was downgraded to the Moderate Drought category (D1) on September 20th. Total damage to the corn crop was estimated at $46.3 million.

• TornadoF3, 14.5 mi path, 440 yd wide04/20/1996

  Niantic, Macon County

  29 injured, $9M damage

  What happened

  A tornado touched down 2 miles south southwest of Niantic and travelled to the east northeast causing extensive damage. It moved into Old Harristown at 727 pm destroying 4 to 5 homes, extensively damaging the remainder of the homes, tore the roof off of the old grade school gymnasium, and destroyed a grain silo. It continued to the east northeast and moved into the westside of Decatur at the intersection of Wyckles and Center Roads after crossing I-72, destroying a church at that intersection, as well as a couple of homes. Then the tornado lifted to tree top level for a short distance till it reached Ravina Park Road. "F3" damage was seen, as the tornado demolished a house in a gully area, then continued to move to the east northeast down Ravina Park Road, causing "F2" damage. The width of the tornado was from 1 1/2 to 2 blocks wide in this area. It then crossed Oakland Avenue, destroying the Sims Lumber Company, and then it lifted to tree top level again. It dropped down again near the intersection of Bloomington Road and Pythan Avenue, causing minor damage before lifting again just east of Morgan Street. The tornado touched down once more at the intersection of...

• Flash Flood08/27/2014

  Warrensburg, Macon County

  $20M damage

  What happened

  A severe thunderstorm produced 2.00 to 3.00 of rain within one hour in parts of central Macon County, including the cities of Decatur and Mt. Zion. The flash flooding resulted in the closure of numerous streets and viaducts in Decatur, as well as basement flooding to numerous homes and businesses. The flash flooding also impacted several rural roads from Harristown through Decatur to Mt. Zion. The flooding subsided by late evening.

• TornadoF1, 2.5 mi path, 220 yd wide04/19/1996

  Decatur, Macon County

  9 injured, $1.5M damage

  What happened

  A tornado touched down in the southeastern portions of Decatur. The initial touchdown was near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Marion St. on the northwestern corner of Mueller Park. The path of the storm then moved a little north of east, with damage centered along Lincoln Street to about 19th Street. At that point the damage path center appeared to move somewhat to the north, crossing 22nd Street between Cantrell and Roosevelt. The path then went across the Nelson Park Golf Course, where it knocked down over 100 trees, then crossed over the western portion of the Hwy 36 bridge before lifting. 88 homes were either damaged or destroyed, as well as, numerous businesses. Nine people sustained minor injuries. Also, 6 large utility poles on the Illinois Hwy 36 bridge were blown over, which trapped several motorists in their cars, though no one was injured. The damage is estimated around $1.5 million.

• High Wind03/25/1996

  Macon

  1 death

  What happened

  Strong gradient winds caused minor damage across Central Illinois and caused a bizzare accident which killed one person. Winds gusting to between 40 and 55 mph caused a bedliner and a concrete block to be blown from the bed of the pickup truck. The concrete block was thrown through the windshield of a car travelling in the opposite direction. The block hit the driver's chest killing him. The winds blew down numerous power lines, tore off the roof of a building in Rushville, and metal shething and insulation from the roof of a mobile home was blown off in Bloomington.

• Winter Weather03/14/2020

  Macon

  1 death

  What happened

  A 23-year old Ohio woman died when her car skidded on icy roads and struck the concrete wall of the I-72 overpass near Oreana in Macon County at around 9am on March 14th. A light rain/snow mix was falling at the time with temperatures hovering near freezing.

• Thunderstorm Wind61 kt wind07/04/2026

  Decatur, Macon County

• Thunderstorm Wind61 kt wind07/04/2026

  Forsyth, Macon County

• Thunderstorm Wind61 kt wind07/04/2026

  Decatur, Macon County

• Thunderstorm Wind61 kt wind07/04/2026

  Decatur, Macon County

• Thunderstorm Wind61 kt wind07/04/2026

  Mt Zion, Macon County

• Thunderstorm Wind61 kt wind07/04/2026

  Macon, Macon County

• Thunderstorm Wind70 kt wind06/18/2026

  Casner, Macon County

• Thunderstorm Wind55 kt wind06/18/2026

  Decatur, Macon County

• DecaturServes 76,122 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
• Long Creek Township PwsServes 7,850 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
• Mount ZionServes 5,833 · Purchased surface water · Local government8 health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
• ForsythServes 3,490 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
• MaroaServes 1,700 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
• HarristownServes 1,320 · Purchased groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
• Blue MoundServes 1,300 · Groundwater · Local government2 health violations+15 monitoring or reporting
• WarrensburgServes 1,230 · Groundwater · Local government1 health violation+3 monitoring or reporting