States › Illinois › McHenry County
McHenry County, Illinois
Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 29 Sep 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.
Between 1950 and 2026, NCEI recorded 854 storm events in McHenry County, Illinois, led by damaging wind.
That is 141.5 events per 100 square miles, in line with the Illinois figure of 120.2, and 27.4 per 10,000 residents against 52.7 statewide.
53 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 12 deaths and 127 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $40M.
FEMA has designated the county in 16 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Covid-19 Pandemic (major disaster, 26 Mar 2020).
National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 987 claims since 1978, of which 726 were paid, totalling $7.6M (about $11K per paid claim). FEMA counts 764 residential flood policies in force.
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Moderate" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Moderate" ($142M a year across 18 hazards).
1 tropical storm or hurricane track in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 0 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.
Compared with Illinois and the United States
| Measure | McHenry County | Illinois | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 854 | 66,722 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 141.5 | 120.2 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 27.4 | 52.7 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 53 | 3,232 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 12 | 1,148 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $40M | $6.9B | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 3.2 | 4.2 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | $11K | $14K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | 19.8 | 21.1 | 16.1 |
County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.
Events by decade
Trend: 623 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 152 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.
Events by type
Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.
Largest recorded events
| Date | Event type | Group | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Apr 1965 | Tornado | Tornado | F4 | — | — | 6 | 75 | County |
| 7 Apr 2001 | High Wind | Wind | 53 mph | — | — | 1 | 1 | Forecast zone |
| 9 Oct 1958 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $2.5M | — | 1 | — | County |
| 10 Jan 1997 | Cold/Wind Chill | Cold | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 24 Jan 2009 | Extreme Cold/Wind Chill | Cold | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 23 Feb 2012 | Winter Storm | Winter | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 11 Jan 2016 | Cold/Wind Chill | Cold | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 21 Apr 1967 | Tornado | Tornado | F4 | $25M | — | — | 40 | County |
| 21 Apr 1967 | Tornado | Tornado | F4 | $2.5M | — | — | 3 | County |
| 11 Dec 2010 | Winter Storm | Winter | — | — | — | — | 3 | Forecast zone |
| 13 Jul 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 0 mph | — | — | — | 2 | County |
| 7 Jan 2008 | Tornado | Tornado | EF3 | $2.0M | — | — | 1 | County |
| 8 Oct 1959 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $250K | — | — | 1 | County |
| 25 Jun 2024 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 12 Jul 2017 | Flood | Flood | — | $3.9M | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Aug 2007 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $500K | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Aug 2007 | Flood | Flood | — | $500K | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Apr 1963 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Aug 1978 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Jun 2008 | Flood | Flood | — | $250K | — | — | — | County |
Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.
Federal disaster declarations
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Mar 2020 | DR-4489 | Major disaster | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 13 Mar 2020 | EM-3435 | Emergency | Biological | Covid-19 | Public assistance |
| 10 May 2013 | DR-4116 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 17 Mar 2011 | DR-1960 | Major disaster | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Public assistance |
| 13 Mar 2008 | EM-3283 | Emergency | Snowstorm | Record Snow And Near Record Snow | Public assistance |
| 29 Dec 2006 | EM-3269 | Emergency | Snowstorm | Snow | Public assistance |
| 7 Sep 2005 | EM-3230 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Public assistance |
| 17 Jan 2001 | EM-3161 | Emergency | Snowstorm | Illinois Winter Snow Storms | Public assistance |
| 8 Jan 1999 | EM-3134 | Emergency | Snowstorm | Il-Winter Storm 1/1/99 | Public assistance |
| 9 Jul 1993 | DR-997 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 7 Oct 1986 | DR-776 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance |
| 16 Jan 1979 | EM-3068 | Emergency | Snowstorm | Blizzards & Snowstorms | Public assistance |
| 10 Jun 1974 | DR-438 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 26 Apr 1973 | DR-373 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 25 Apr 1967 | DR-227 | Major disaster | Tornado | Tornadoes | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 25 Apr 1965 | DR-194 | Major disaster | Tornado | Tornadoes, Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.
Flood insurance claims
| Year of loss | Claims | Paid claims | Amount paid | Average paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 32 | 26 | $605,705 | $23,296 |
| 2024 | 2 | 1 | $3,696 | $3,696 |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2020 | 10 | 7 | $147,292 | $21,042 |
| 2019 | 4 | 4 | $68,212 | $17,053 |
| 2018 | 8 | 5 | $40,918 | $8,184 |
| 2017 | 91 | 70 | $1,349,412 | $19,277 |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2015 | 6 | 2 | $6,361 | $3,180 |
| 2014 | 2 | 1 | $1,085 | $1,085 |
| 2013 | 165 | 138 | $2,427,777 | $17,593 |
| 2011 | 2 | 1 | $7,791 | $7,791 |
| 2010 | 7 | 6 | $23,231 | $3,872 |
| 2009 | 11 | 8 | $140,567 | $17,571 |
| 2008 | 22 | 18 | $89,062 | $4,948 |
| 2007 | 91 | 77 | $789,382 | $10,252 |
| 2004 | 21 | 12 | $121,632 | $10,136 |
| 2003 | 2 | 2 | $4,349 | $2,175 |
| 2002 | 3 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2001 | 4 | 4 | $14,434 | $3,608 |
| 2000 | 25 | 15 | $103,738 | $6,916 |
| 1999 | 43 | 28 | $216,598 | $7,736 |
| 1998 | 1 | 1 | $4,181 | $4,181 |
OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).
National Risk Index
| Hazard (NRI) | Risk rating | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|
| Inland flooding | $85,124,445 | |
| Tornado | $24,621,199 | |
| Cold wave | $23,473,550 | |
| Strong wind | $2,535,881 | |
| Heat wave | $1,844,123 | |
| Earthquake | $1,769,174 | |
| Hail | $1,322,689 | |
| Lightning | $870,993 | |
| Drought | $420,009 | |
| Winter weather | $309,550 | |
| Ice storm | $171,227 | |
| Wildfire | $24,531 | |
| Landslide | $3,478 | |
| Hurricane | $3,181 |
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.
Hurricane and tropical storm passes
| Storm | Year | Closest approach | Max wind while within 100 mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1900 | 20 mi | 58 mph |
HURDAT2 best-track positions at tropical-storm strength (34 kt) or more, measured from the county's Census centre point; through the 2025 season. Distance from a track is not the same as the extent of the storm's wind, rain or surge.
ZIP codes with flood claims
- 60051 247
- 60050 185
- 60081 160
- 60010 149
- 60013 105
- 60102 101
- 60014 99
- 60021 47
- 60156 31
- 60152 27
- 60098 24
- 60180 23
- 60033 17
- 60097 10
ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.
Questions and answers
How often does it hail in McHenry County, IL?
NCEI records 196 hail events in McHenry County since 1950, in 39 different years; that is about 2.5 recorded events a year. 21 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has McHenry County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 27 tornadoes in McHenry County since 1950, 8 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 7.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for McHenry County?
26 Mar 2020: Covid-19 Pandemic, a major disaster declaration for biological. The county appears in 16 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in McHenry County, and how much was paid?
987 NFIP claims since 1978, 726 of them paid, for $7.6M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.
Is McHenry County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?
FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Moderate" for overall risk, "Relatively Moderate" for expected annual loss, "Very Low" for social vulnerability and "Very High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.
How does McHenry County compare with the rest of Illinois?
141.5 recorded events per 100 square miles against 120.2 statewide, and 3.2 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 4.2. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.
Provenance
Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 29 Sep 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 30 Sep 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.