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Peoria 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 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.
The NCEI record lists 875 events for Peoria County, Illinois, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.
That is 141.4 events per 100 square miles, in line with the Illinois figure of 120.2, and 48.8 per 10,000 residents against 52.7 statewide.
33 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 20 deaths and 51 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $263M and crop damage at $35M.
FEMA has designated the county in 15 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 2,547 claims since 1978, of which 2,226 were paid, totalling $24M (about $11K per paid claim). FEMA counts 302 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" ($85M a year across 18 hazards).
Compared with Illinois and the United States
| Measure | Peoria County | Illinois | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 875 | 66,722 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 141.4 | 120.2 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 48.8 | 52.7 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 33 | 3,232 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 20 | 1,148 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $263M | $6.9B | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 14.2 | 4.2 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | $11K | $14K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | 30.8 | 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: 575 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 205 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Mar 1998 | Winter Storm | Winter | — | — | — | 2 | — | Forecast zone |
| 1 May 2013 | Flood | Flood | — | $28M | — | 1 | — | County |
| 2 Feb 1996 | Cold/Wind Chill | Cold | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 9 Dec 1997 | Heavy Snow | Winter | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 26 Jun 1998 | Heat | Heat | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 20 Jul 1999 | Heat | Heat | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 30 Jul 2006 | Heat | Heat | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 16 Dec 2008 | Winter Weather | Winter | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 1 Jul 2012 | Excessive Heat | Heat | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 18 Dec 2016 | Cold/Wind Chill | Cold | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 30 Dec 2017 | Extreme Cold/Wind Chill | Cold | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 30 Jun 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 49 mph | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 17 Jul 2019 | Excessive Heat | Heat | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 20 Jan 2020 | Cold/Wind Chill | Cold | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 13 Feb 2020 | Cold/Wind Chill | Cold | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 20 Jan 2021 | Cold/Wind Chill | Cold | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 27 Jul 2023 | Excessive Heat | Heat | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 15 Jul 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 60 mph | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 23 Jul 2025 | Heat | Heat | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 14 Sep 1965 | Tornado | Tornado | F3 | $2.5M | — | — | 30 | 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 |
| 3 Oct 2008 | DR-1800 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding | Individual 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 |
| 29 Mar 1985 | DR-735 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 13 Dec 1982 | DR-674 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Individual assistance |
| 30 Apr 1979 | DR-583 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public 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 |
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 | 2 | 2 | $13,754 | $6,877 |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2022 | 3 | 2 | $34,551 | $17,275 |
| 2020 | 28 | 23 | $200,269 | $8,707 |
| 2019 | 46 | 41 | $810,733 | $19,774 |
| 2018 | 8 | 5 | $27,391 | $5,478 |
| 2017 | 4 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2016 | 10 | 9 | $19,551 | $2,172 |
| 2015 | 46 | 36 | $283,868 | $7,885 |
| 2014 | 2 | 1 | $1,850 | $1,850 |
| 2013 | 215 | 198 | $6,465,545 | $32,654 |
| 2011 | 4 | 2 | $17,805 | $8,903 |
| 2010 | 7 | 4 | $30,229 | $7,557 |
| 2009 | 121 | 111 | $1,960,211 | $17,660 |
| 2008 | 99 | 86 | $1,441,069 | $16,757 |
| 2007 | 10 | 8 | $30,838 | $3,855 |
| 2006 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2005 | 12 | 11 | $38,510 | $3,501 |
| 2004 | 4 | 3 | $8,076 | $2,692 |
| 2003 | 2 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2002 | 32 | 27 | $123,109 | $4,560 |
| 2001 | 3 | 2 | $1,153 | $577 |
| 1999 | 8 | 7 | $69,394 | $9,913 |
| 1998 | 20 | 14 | $97,178 | $6,941 |
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 | $32,218,908 | |
| Cold wave | $24,971,759 | |
| Tornado | $12,517,603 | |
| Heat wave | $3,940,160 | |
| Strong wind | $3,056,094 | |
| Hail | $2,938,140 | |
| Earthquake | $1,543,946 | |
| Drought | $1,191,277 | |
| Lightning | $1,034,133 | |
| Ice storm | $827,022 | |
| Winter weather | $288,155 | |
| Landslide | $114,513 | |
| Hurricane | $14,186 | |
| Wildfire | $2,895 |
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
No HURDAT2 track at tropical-storm strength passes within 100 miles of the county's centre point (through the 2025 season).
ZIP codes with flood claims
- 61523 1,130
- 61614 302
- 61616 296
- 61604 212
- 61615 203
- 61562 188
- 61607 36
- 61603 26
- 61528 19
- 61602 16
- 61547 14
- 61552 11
- 61605 7
- 61652 6
- 61526 5
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 Peoria County, IL?
NCEI records 238 hail events in Peoria County since 1950, in 46 different years; that is about 3.1 recorded events a year. 42 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has Peoria County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 32 tornadoes in Peoria County since 1950, 6 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Peoria County?
26 Mar 2020: Covid-19 Pandemic, a major disaster declaration for biological. The county appears in 15 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Peoria County, and how much was paid?
2,547 NFIP claims since 1978, 2,226 of them paid, for $24M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.
Is Peoria 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, "Relatively Moderate" for social vulnerability and "Very High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.
How does Peoria County compare with the rest of Illinois?
141.4 recorded events per 100 square miles against 120.2 statewide, and 14.2 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 1 Oct 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 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.