States › Illinois › Will County

Will County, Illinois

Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.

FIPS 17197 · 697,252 residents (2021) · 836 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 359Tornado · 98Flood · 160Wind · 620Winter · 59

Will County within Illinois. Dots: HailTornadoFloodWind event locations in the kept record. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

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.

The NCEI record lists 1,418 events for Will County, Illinois, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 169.6 events per 100 square miles, above the Illinois figure of 120.2, and 20.3 per 10,000 residents against 52.7 statewide.

82 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 62 deaths and 517 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $379M.

FEMA has designated the county in 19 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Floodng (major disaster, 20 Sep 2024).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 2,295 claims since 1978, of which 1,881 were paid, totalling $21M (about $11K per paid claim). FEMA counts 1,026 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively High" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively High" ($348M a year across 18 hazards).

3 tropical storm or hurricane tracks 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.

82events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

1,418events since 195062 deaths, 517 injuries recorded

19disaster declarationslast 20 Sep 2024

2,295NFIP flood claims$21M paid

Compared with Illinois and the United States

Measure	Will County	Illinois	US
Recorded events since 1950	1,418	66,722	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	169.6	120.2	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	20.3	52.7	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	82	3,232	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	62	1,148	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$379M	$6.9B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	3.3	4.2	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$11K	$14K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	15.1	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

Wind: 3

Hail: 6Tornado: 7Wind: 16

Hail: 12Tornado: 10Wind: 19

Hail: 9Tornado: 14Wind: 8

Hail: 40Tornado: 12Flood: 6Wind: 47Winter: 5Heat: 4Cold: 1

Hail: 117Tornado: 13Flood: 63Wind: 143Winter: 26Heat: 1Cold: 8Drought: 9Wildfire: 2Lightning: 21Fog: 1Other: 12

Hail: 122Tornado: 15Flood: 46Wind: 158Winter: 27Heat: 7Cold: 10Lightning: 16Fog: 1Other: 8

Hail: 53Tornado: 27Flood: 45Wind: 226Winter: 1Drought: 2Lightning: 4Other: 15

31950s291960s411970s311980s1151990s4162000s4102010s3732020s

Recorded events in Will County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindWinterHeatColdDroughtWildfireLightningFogOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 959 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 311 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

Wind620

Hail359

Flood160

Tornado98

Winter59

Lightning41

Other35

Cold19

Heat12

Drought11

Wildfire2

Fog2

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	620	—	2.5%	detail
■ Hail	359	—	2.9%	detail
■ Flood	160	3	2.5%	detail
■ Tornado	98	34	2.7%	detail
■ Winter	59	1	0.7%	detail
■ Lightning	41	3	9.2%
■ Other	35	—	3.6%
■ Cold	19	9	0.7%
■ Heat	12	11	0.4%
■ Drought	11	—	0.7%
■ Wildfire	2	—	9.1%
■ Fog	2	1	0.1%

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
28 Aug 1990	Tornado	Tornado	F5	$250M	—	29	350	County
28 Jul 1999	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	3	—	Forecast zone
23 May 2010	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	3	—	Forecast zone
12 Nov 1965	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$25M	—	2	90	County
17 Jul 1996	Flash Flood	Flood	—	—	—	2	—	County
3 Dec 2010	Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	—	2	—	Forecast zone
19 Jul 2013	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	2	—	Forecast zone
15 Jan 2015	Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	—	2	—	Forecast zone
6 Apr 1972	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$250K	—	1	22	County
27 Apr 1984	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$2.5M	—	1	5	County
28 Jul 2016	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	1	County
25 Jun 1978	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$250K	—	1	—	County
25 Jun 1997	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
16 Aug 1999	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
6 Feb 2007	Winter Storm	Winter	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
15 Dec 2008	Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
4 Feb 2008	Dense Fog	Fog	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
30 Dec 2009	Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
22 Jun 2009	Excessive Heat	Heat	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
27 Dec 2010	Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone

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
20 Sep 2024	DR-4819	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Floodng	Individual assistance
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
26 Nov 2013	DR-4157	Major disaster	Tornado	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes	Individual 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, Public assistance
25 Sep 2007	DR-1729	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance
7 Sep 2005	EM-3230	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	Public assistance
23 Apr 2004	DR-1513	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Tornadoes	Individual 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
25 Jul 1996	DR-1129	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
29 Aug 1990	DR-878	Major disaster	Tornado	Tornadoes	Individual assistance, Public assistance
29 Mar 1985	DR-735	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
30 Jun 1981	DR-643	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding & Tornadoes	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
25 Apr 1967	DR-227	Major disaster	Tornado	Tornadoes	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

197820022026

NFIP claims by year of loss in Will County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 19782,295

Paid claims1,881

Total paid$21M

Average paid claim$11K

Repetitive-loss properties18829 severe

Residential policies in force1,0260.5% of 220,472 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	7	5	$95,566	$19,113
2025	5	2	$25,544	$12,772
2024	12	9	$343,067	$38,119
2023	2	2	$55,805	$27,903
2022	6	4	$7,722	$1,931
2021	8	6	$26,448	$4,408
2020	37	29	$412,348	$14,219
2019	40	33	$616,543	$18,683
2018	18	15	$160,800	$10,720
2017	20	17	$258,612	$15,212
2016	3	0	$0	—
2015	10	9	$111,914	$12,435
2014	11	5	$49,046	$9,809
2013	131	119	$2,954,949	$24,832
2012	1	1	$10,018	$10,018
2011	22	16	$253,728	$15,858
2010	18	13	$69,644	$5,357
2009	7	5	$68,771	$13,754
2008	145	126	$2,322,698	$18,434
2007	38	32	$560,950	$17,530
2006	20	13	$46,236	$3,557
2005	4	2	$8,470	$4,235
2004	20	13	$82,696	$6,361
2003	20	16	$101,393	$6,337
2002	18	16	$50,924	$3,183

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

Overall riskRelatively Highscore 97.3 of 100

Expected annual loss$348MRelatively High

Social vulnerabilityVery Low

Community resilienceVery High

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively High	$193,027,628
Cold wave	Very High	$72,278,534
Tornado	Very High	$63,112,921
Heat wave	Relatively Moderate	$8,540,598
Earthquake	Relatively Moderate	$7,064,323
Lightning	Relatively High	$1,529,462
Strong wind	Relatively Low	$730,396
Winter weather	Relatively High	$616,858
Ice storm	Relatively Moderate	$531,850
Hail	Relatively Low	$498,406
Wildfire	Very Low	$87,648
Drought	Relatively Low	$72,053
Hurricane	Very Low	$13,515
Landslide	Very Low	$3,362

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

Tracks within 100 miles3

Tracks within 50 miles0

Hurricane strength within 50 miles0

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Ike	2008	89 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1932	68 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1900	86 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

60432 432
60481 407
60433 270
60441 156
60544 136
60435 101
60440 100
60451 88
60447 80
60586 76
60436 73
60431 64
60404 52
60417 46
60421 46
60423 41
60491 31
60410 25
60564 20
60448 19
60403 14
60442 12
60446 9
60401 7

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 Will County, IL?

NCEI records 359 hail events in Will County since 1950, in 52 different years; that is about 4.7 recorded events a year. 64 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Will County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 98 tornadoes in Will County since 1950, 19 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 34.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Will County?

20 Sep 2024: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Floodng, a major disaster declaration for flood. The county appears in 19 declarations since 1953.

How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Will County, and how much was paid?

2,295 NFIP claims since 1978, 1,881 of them paid, for $21M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Will County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively High" for overall risk, "Relatively High" 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 Will County compare with the rest of Illinois?

169.6 recorded events per 100 square miles against 120.2 statewide, and 3.3 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.