Union County, IL Environment & Hazard Risk

• EarthquakeRelatively Moderate$4.33M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 106 years
• Strong windRelatively High$1.38M/yr expected annual loss, about 4.1 events a year
• Heat waveRelatively Moderate$1.56M/yr expected annual loss, about 11 events a year
• Cold waveRelatively Moderate$1.58M/yr expected annual loss, about 1.1 events a year
• Winter weatherRelatively Moderate$93.66K/yr expected annual loss, about 7.7 events a year
• Ice stormRelatively Moderate$125K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
• TornadoRelatively Low$1.5M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 3 years
• DroughtRelatively Low$240K/yr expected annual loss, about 3.9 events a year
• LandslideVery Low$1,441/yr expected annual loss, about 1.5 events a year
• HailRelatively Low$135K/yr expected annual loss, about 3.4 events a year
• LightningRelatively Low$120K/yr expected annual loss, about 55 events a year
• HurricaneVery Low$18.49K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 58 years
• WildfireVery Low$2,375/yr expected annual loss, about once every 3,210 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

46 of 5,173 (0.9%)

Homes in high-risk flood zones

399

Insured in high-risk zones

44 (11%)

Flood claims since 1978

109

Claims paid since 1978

$443K

• Dense Fog109
• Strong Wind90 · 2 deaths
• Thunderstorm Wind71
• Winter Weather66
• Heat62 · 1 death
• Frost/Freeze55
• Flood43
• Hail35
• Drought33
• Winter Storm30 · 1 death

• TornadoF3, 16 mi path, 400 yd wide04/28/2002

  Dongola, Union County

  1 death, 8 injured, $5M damage

  What happened

  The tornado first touched down in very hilly terrain in the Shawnee National Forest and then tracked east, crossing Route 127 just north of Mill Creek. The tornado then directly struck the community of Dongola, where most of the damage and casualties occurred. A 69-year-old woman was killed as she was attempting to flee her mobile home. The woman had just gotten into her car, started the engine, and turned the lights on when the tornado struck. She was blown away from the car and found dead under a structure across the road from where the vehicle was parked and still running. Elsewhere in the Dongola area, a train was blown off the tracks. Several wood houses were demolished, and seven double-wide trailers were destroyed. Approximately 75 homes were damaged. A recreational vehicle was tossed across Lake Dongola and impaled into the ground.

• Strong Wind36 kt wind11/18/2017

  Union

  2 deaths, $15K damage

  What happened

  A cold front surged southeast from Missouri across the lower Ohio Valley. Ahead of the front, strong south winds gusted close to 40 mph in some places. Immediately following the passage of the cold front and its associated line of thunderstorms, a short period of strong northwest winds occurred. At the Carbondale airport, winds gusted to 40 mph from the south early in the morning. There were two fatalities in Union County when a tree was blown into the bedroom of a mobile home three miles east of Anna. An adult man and his one-year-old daughter were both killed in the bedroom early in the morning. Following the passage of the cold front and its line of storms, northwest winds gusted to 43 mph at the Carbondale airport, 46 mph at the Carmi airport, and 41 mph at the Harrisburg airport.

• Heat07/21/2005

  Union

  15 injured

  What happened

  Several days of excessive heat and humidity caused a significant increase in heat-related illnesses. Hospitals reported that a majority of those treated were outdoor workers. The heat index peaked around 110 degrees each afternoon, and dropped to only around 80 degrees at night. True air temperatures reached the mid 90's, with overnight lows in the mid 70's. At Carbondale, the heat index topped out at 112 degrees on the 21st and the 22nd, 105 on the 23rd, 115 on the 24th, 106 on the 25th, and 109 on the 26th. These heat indices were representative of the rest of southern Illinois. The heat wave was the result of an expansive surface high pressure system extending from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. A light southerly wind flow, combined with moist ground from the remnants of Hurricane Dennis earlier in the month, allowed dew points to hover around 80 degrees.

• Winter Storm12/22/2004

  Union

  1 death, 1 injured, $100K damage

  What happened

  A major winter storm dumped from 10 to 20 inches of snow across most of southern Illinois, clogging interstates and shutting down most businesses near the peak of the Christmas shopping season. The heaviest snowfall, from 14 to 20 inches, occurred along an axis from Anna (Union County) through Harrisburg (Saline County) to the lower Wabash Valley. Snowfall was not quite as heavy from Fairfield (in Wayne County) west across Mount Vernon to Du Quoin (Perry County), where amounts were mostly from 6 to 9 inches. On the north side of Anna in Union County, a man was killed and another man was injured when an awning on a VFW Post collapsed on them. The two men were standing under the 12-by-30 foot awning when it collapsed. The weight of the compacted snow, which fell several days earlier, caused the metal roof to totally collapse over the men. The other end of the awning remained partially standing. A crew of 15 to 20 rescuers took about 30 minutes to extricate the men. In Johnson County, the roof of a hardware store and a horse arena collapsed under the weight of the snow and ice. Portions of Interstates 57, 64, and 24 were extremely difficult to travel. Numerous abandoned vehicles...

• Flash Flood06/17/2019

  Cobden, Union County

  1 death, $30K damage

  What happened

  Severe flash flooding impacted Union County. There were two water rescues in the county. One car stalled in high water on Mount Glen Road near Cobden. First responders were able to rescue the driver, a young female. The second water rescue involved a vehicle in the Trail of Tears State Forest near Ware. The vehicle was swept off State Forest Road where it crosses Clear Creek. Two people were in the vehicle at the time it was swept off the road. The male involved was able to escape. The body of the other person in the vehicle, a female in her late 50's, was found deceased the following morning less than a mile downstream from the vehicle. Elsewhere in the area, one lane of Highway 146 near the intersection of Highway 3 was flooded. A trained spotter reported 4.0 inches of rainfall in 24 hours three miles east of Ware. The public reported 4.5 inches of rain in 24 hours at Cobden.

• Heat06/22/2009

  Union

  1 death

  What happened

  A building dome of high pressure aloft was responsible for near record high temperatures. Combined with high humidity, the heat index soared to between 105 and 110 on the afternoon of the 22nd. In many places, the heat index peaked near 105 on the afternoon of the 23rd. Actual air temperatures reached the mid 90's both days. In Union County, a blind elderly man with Alzheimer's disease wandered from his home and died of heat exhaustion in an open field.

• Thunderstorm Wind56 kt wind04/27/2026

  Anna, Union County

  $10K damage

• Dense Fog04/25/2026

  Union

• Dense Fog02/16/2026

  Union

• Dense Fog02/10/2026

  Union

• Cold/Wind Chill01/31/2026

  Union

• Cold/Wind Chill01/26/2026

  Union

• Winter Storm01/24/2026

  Union

• Cold/Wind Chill01/23/2026

  Union

• Unnamed storm (1915)08/05/1915 · Landfall: TX · 940 mbTropical storm40 mph nearby

• AnnaServes 4,910 · Purchased groundwater · Local government4 health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
• Lick Creek PwdServes 2,365 · Purchased surface water · Local government5 health violations
• JonesboroServes 1,799 · Purchased groundwater · Local government1 health violation+4 monitoring or reporting
• CobdenServes 1,267 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
• Alto Pass Water DistrictServes 1,015 · Purchased groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
• Shawnee Valley PwdServes 738 · Purchased groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
• DongolaServes 736 · Purchased groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
• Choate MhcServes 533 · Purchased groundwater · State1 health violation+4 monitoring or reporting