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Illinois

The recorded hazard history of every county in Illinois: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, and National Flood Insurance Program claims since 1978.

Illinois has 66,722 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950 across 102 counties, led by damaging wind: 120.2 per 100 square miles against 56.0 nationally.

NCEI attributes 1,148 deaths and 6,488 injuries to those events, with property damage estimated at $6.9B. By events per 100 square miles the leading counties are Alexander, Pulaski and Wabash.

FEMA lists 68 disaster declarations touching the state since 1953, most recently Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Floodng (20 Sep 2024). NFIP policyholders filed 52,890 flood claims since 1978, $596M paid; 21,080 residential policies are in force.

3,232events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

66,722events since 1950120.2 per 100 sq mi (US 56.0)

68disaster declarations since 1953last 20 Sep 2024

52,890NFIP flood claims$596M paid

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. Storm records through 30 Jun 2026; declarations refreshed 29 Sep 2026; claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

Compared with the United States

Measure	Illinois	US
Recorded events since 1950	66,722	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	120.2	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	52.7	59.6
Deaths recorded by NCEI	1,148	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$6.9B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	4.2	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$14K	$43K
Residential flood policies in force	21,080	3,139,862

Hazard mix

Wind24,881

Hail12,331

Winter8,149

Flood6,507

Tornado3,647

Heat3,276

Cold2,679

Fog2,229

Drought1,586

Other968

Lightning447

Wildfire22

Hazard	Events	Share of US	Deaths
■ Wind	24,881	3.5%	54
■ Hail	12,331	2.9%	—
■ Winter	8,149	2.8%	116
■ Flood	6,507	3.5%	61
■ Tornado	3,647	4.5%	236
■ Heat	3,276	5.8%	425
■ Cold	2,679	5.0%	211
■ Fog	2,229	12.1%	10
■ Drought	1,586	1.9%	—
■ Other	968	2.1%	13
■ Lightning	447	2.5%	22
■ Wildfire	22	0.2%	—

Events by decade

Hail: 68Tornado: 207Wind: 138

Hail: 196Tornado: 232Wind: 453

Hail: 435Tornado: 392Wind: 900

Hail: 539Tornado: 249Wind: 1313

Hail: 1298Tornado: 498Flood: 569Wind: 3132Winter: 1133Heat: 330Cold: 205Drought: 121Wildfire: 1Lightning: 38Fog: 108Other: 31

Hail: 4088Tornado: 647Flood: 2234Wind: 6252Winter: 2672Heat: 704Cold: 890Drought: 450Wildfire: 7Lightning: 194Fog: 463Other: 354

Hail: 3525Tornado: 604Flood: 2529Wind: 6208Winter: 2605Heat: 1437Cold: 796Drought: 493Wildfire: 7Lightning: 191Fog: 1078Other: 316

Hail: 2182Tornado: 818Flood: 1175Wind: 6485Winter: 1739Heat: 805Cold: 788Drought: 522Wildfire: 7Lightning: 24Fog: 580Other: 267

4131950s8811960s1,7271970s2,1011980s7,4641990s18,9552000s19,7892010s15,3922020s

Recorded events in Illinois by decade and hazard group, including events recorded by forecast zone. HailTornadoFloodWindWinterHeatColdDroughtWildfireLightningFogOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Counties by events per 100 square miles

County	Events	Last 12 mo	Per 100 sq mi	Per 10k residents	Dominant	Tornadoes	Hail	Declarations	NFIP claims	NRI risk
Alexander County	929	23	394.7	1,846.9	Flood	17	52	17	444	Relatively Low
Pulaski County	768	22	385.4	1,516.3	Wind	12	55	14	32	Relatively Low
Wabash County	776	18	347.5	692.7	Wind	19	58	10	10	Very Low
Massac County	805	18	339.4	576.6	Wind	18	52	12	110	Relatively Low
Cook County	3,111	302	329.2	6.0	Wind	87	643	24	15,260	Very High
Hardin County	565	19	318.5	1,547.9	Winter	4	14	8	16	Very Low
DuPage County	992	88	302.6	10.7	Wind	48	255	16	3,607	Relatively High
Edwards County	625	16	281.0	1,028.8	Wind	10	39	7	0	Very Low
Gallatin County	774	20	239.7	1,578.6	Flood	12	32	11	47	Very Low
Franklin County	962	28	235.3	256.9	Wind	19	116	10	60	Relatively Low
Putnam County	373	10	233.0	670.1	Winter	12	64	11	66	Very Low
Kane County	1,147	109	220.8	22.2	Wind	43	225	16	929	Relatively High
Saline County	816	18	214.7	349.9	Wind	18	79	9	28	Relatively Low
Williamson County	892	26	212.3	133.4	Wind	22	120	9	239	Relatively Moderate
Johnson County	719	20	209.2	534.1	Wind	21	88	7	3	Relatively Low
Jackson County	1,198	34	205.3	227.9	Wind	39	154	15	118	Relatively Moderate
Rock Island County	872	23	204.0	61.0	Wind	41	152	15	2,132	Relatively Moderate
Lake County	864	47	194.8	12.1	Wind	23	185	17	2,456	Relatively High
White County	950	16	191.9	689.2	Flood	25	64	10	88	Relatively Low
Union County	774	24	187.2	457.4	Wind	24	55	15	109	Relatively Low
Pope County	660	19	178.9	1,746.5	Wind	14	34	12	1	Very Low
Perry County	790	18	178.8	376.5	Wind	21	75	7	11	Relatively Low
Winnebago County	888	49	173.1	31.4	Wind	25	215	19	1,729	Relatively Moderate
Will County	1,418	82	169.6	20.3	Wind	98	359	19	2,295	Relatively High
St. Clair County	1,047	16	159.2	41.1	Wind	56	319	19	1,469	Relatively High
Kendall County	507	47	158.3	37.6	Wind	31	91	13	175	Relatively Low
Hamilton County	662	24	152.3	836.8	Wind	12	44	10	5	Very Low
Boone County	419	33	149.2	78.8	Wind	25	65	11	46	Relatively Low
Jefferson County	827	19	144.8	224.3	Wind	31	92	5	13	Relatively Low
McHenry County	854	53	141.5	27.4	Wind	27	196	16	987	Relatively Moderate
Peoria County	875	33	141.4	48.8	Wind	32	238	15	2,547	Relatively Moderate
Tazewell County	913	89	141.2	70.0	Wind	75	234	15	345	Relatively Moderate
Madison County	1,009	46	141.0	38.1	Wind	67	324	16	1,087	Relatively Moderate
Carroll County	608	21	136.5	387.3	Wind	23	75	16	57	Very Low
Stephenson County	756	31	134.0	171.7	Wind	23	135	14	193	Relatively Low
McDonough County	786	20	133.4	293.0	Wind	44	197	11	16	Very Low
Sangamon County	1,107	46	127.5	56.8	Wind	93	319	12	293	Relatively Moderate
Macon County	716	55	123.3	69.9	Wind	81	158	11	208	Relatively Moderate
Grundy County	495	32	118.4	93.4	Wind	23	75	15	333	Relatively Low
Monroe County	451	5	117.1	129.1	Wind	41	120	20	689	Very Low
Menard County	367	24	116.7	301.7	Wind	17	81	12	35	Very Low
Whiteside County	794	13	116.1	143.6	Wind	43	163	14	287	Relatively Low
Jo Daviess County	686	38	114.2	312.7	Wind	19	113	16	343	Relatively Low
Woodford County	588	42	111.5	153.8	Wind	54	138	14	518	Very Low
Logan County	684	35	110.7	244.4	Wind	74	140	12	58	Relatively Low
Wayne County	788	21	110.4	493.6	Wind	29	72	8	12	Very Low
Henry County	905	27	110.0	185.0	Wind	71	217	16	238	Relatively Low
Henderson County	410	9	108.2	649.6	Winter	13	66	16	412	Very Low
Coles County	542	44	106.6	115.9	Wind	40	125	9	62	Relatively Low
Calhoun County	270	3	106.4	618.0	Wind	10	32	25	1,690	Very Low
Jersey County	388	9	105.0	181.9	Wind	22	85	20	1,869	Very Low
Champaign County	1,042	77	104.6	50.6	Wind	83	239	12	235	Relatively Moderate
Kankakee County	698	69	103.2	65.5	Wind	70	138	7	695	Relatively Moderate
Marshall County	397	26	102.6	340.4	Wind	18	63	14	81	Very Low
Scott County	256	9	102.1	529.4	Wind	16	41	18	29	Very Low
Stark County	286	14	99.3	540.2	Wind	16	44	8	1	Very Low
Clinton County	470	7	99.2	127.7	Wind	31	96	7	29	Relatively Low
De Witt County	393	32	98.9	256.2	Wind	25	65	11	59	Very Low
Effingham County	466	34	97.3	135.3	Wind	30	86	7	4	Relatively Low
Lawrence County	357	9	95.9	235.6	Wind	12	67	9	23	Relatively Low
Mercer County	538	8	95.9	345.3	Wind	45	96	15	61	Very Low
Clay County	447	25	95.4	340.1	Wind	22	85	5	4	Very Low
Randolph County	540	5	93.9	179.2	Wind	45	173	17	182	Relatively Low
Vermilion County	830	46	92.4	113.6	Wind	66	205	12	103	Relatively Low
Warren County	487	12	89.8	294.6	Wind	36	75	9	26	Very Low
Douglas County	373	31	89.5	189.1	Wind	31	76	13	209	Relatively Low
Hancock County	710	16	89.4	408.0	Wind	34	177	19	288	Very Low
Bond County	333	5	87.6	200.7	Wind	23	52	7	6	Very Low
Fulton County	758	27	87.6	228.3	Wind	50	210	20	369	Relatively Low
Marion County	497	19	86.8	132.9	Wind	37	101	8	29	Relatively Low
Moultrie County	291	31	86.6	200.6	Wind	17	52	10	20	Relatively Low
Brown County	261	2	85.4	406.5	Wind	10	52	16	32	Very Low
Cass County	319	14	84.9	249.7	Wind	18	57	21	167	Very Low
Morgan County	476	13	83.7	146.0	Wind	41	117	17	242	Relatively Low
Crawford County	362	25	81.6	194.0	Wind	27	70	9	26	Very Low
McLean County	943	73	79.7	55.2	Wind	122	245	11	188	Relatively Moderate
Piatt County	350	24	79.7	208.9	Wind	36	57	9	19	Very Low
Bureau County	692	27	79.6	210.4	Wind	47	157	17	73	Relatively Low
Ogle County	602	27	79.4	117.0	Wind	34	105	14	308	Relatively Low
Washington County	441	5	78.4	323.0	Wind	31	134	9	8	Relatively Low
Ford County	380	38	78.3	281.3	Wind	43	47	8	2	Very Low
DeKalb County	492	25	77.9	49.0	Wind	29	89	12	404	Relatively Low
Christian County	550	40	77.5	163.4	Wind	62	114	8	14	Relatively Low
Richland County	275	8	76.4	174.1	Wind	18	46	8	25	Relatively Low
Montgomery County	533	15	75.7	189.8	Wind	55	137	7	22	Relatively Low
Macoupin County	649	16	75.2	146.2	Hail	48	234	9	47	Relatively Low
Adams County	641	8	75.0	98.7	Wind	36	191	21	374	Relatively Low
Schuyler County	326	13	74.5	476.4	Wind	21	55	18	93	Very Low
Lee County	539	27	74.4	158.3	Wind	39	115	10	142	Relatively Low
Cumberland County	255	11	73.7	246.5	Wind	20	39	9	2	Very Low
Knox County	521	21	72.7	105.7	Wind	31	114	11	40	Relatively Low
Mason County	384	25	71.2	298.1	Wind	42	56	18	452	Relatively Low
LaSalle County	769	34	67.7	70.6	Wind	67	175	20	680	Relatively Moderate
Edgar County	389	17	62.4	235.5	Wind	34	73	9	5	Very Low
Jasper County	301	20	60.9	327.4	Wind	25	60	9	10	Very Low
Clark County	302	13	60.2	197.4	Wind	13	64	10	18	Very Low
Greene County	307	3	56.5	259.2	Wind	21	58	19	77	Very Low
Shelby County	411	32	54.2	197.7	Wind	39	66	10	3	Relatively Low
Livingston County	563	48	53.9	157.9	Wind	58	97	11	282	Relatively Low
Fayette County	383	12	53.5	179.1	Wind	27	65	8	3	Relatively Low
Pike County	443	4	53.3	303.1	Wind	34	92	25	335	Very Low
Iroquois County	564	48	50.5	210.2	Wind	64	73	9	840	Relatively Low

Events are county-recorded plus zone-recorded events whose zone is named for the county. NRI risk is FEMA's National Risk Index overall rating (December 2025).

Counties by flood claims per 100 policies in force

County	Claims, last 10 years	Policies in force	Claims per 100 policies	Claims since 1978	Paid
Iroquois County	203	255	79.6	840	$17M
Winnebago County	231	585	39.5	1,729	$27M
Alexander County	41	112	36.6	444	$3.2M
Lake County	652	1,857	35.1	2,456	$29M
Rock Island County	231	668	34.6	2,132	$20M
Grundy County	51	161	31.7	333	$6.4M
Peoria County	93	302	30.8	2,547	$24M
Kankakee County	89	300	29.7	695	$10M
Whiteside County	46	158	29.1	287	$2.3M
St. Clair County	285	1,007	28.3	1,469	$7.8M
McLean County	27	112	24.1	188	$1.7M
Woodford County	23	103	22.3	518	$5.1M
Ogle County	30	140	21.4	308	$3.5M
Williamson County	29	141	20.6	239	$2.1M
McHenry County	151	764	19.8	987	$7.6M

Counties with at least 100 residential policies in force. Claims by year of loss in the ten years to 2026, divided by residential policies in force as of 3 Aug 2026; a rough ratio, since policies in force today differ from those in force when the losses occurred.

Federal disaster declarations by year

195319902026

Declarations touching Illinois by year declared, 1953 to 2026; each disaster number counted once.

Incident type	Declarations
Severe Storm	26
Flood	19
Tornado	11
Snowstorm	7
Biological	2
Severe Ice Storm	2
Hurricane	1

Most recent declarations (each disaster number once, with the number of counties designated):

Declared	Number	Type	Incident	Title	Counties
20 Sep 2024	DR-4819	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Floodng	7
20 Nov 2023	DR-4749	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms And Flooding	1
15 Aug 2023	DR-4728	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	22
14 Oct 2022	DR-4676	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storm And Flooding	1
13 Dec 2021	EM-3577	Emergency	Tornado	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes	14
26 Mar 2020	DR-4489	Major disaster	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	102
13 Mar 2020	EM-3435	Emergency	Biological	Covid-19	102
19 Sep 2019	DR-4461	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms And Flooding	28
26 Nov 2013	DR-4157	Major disaster	Tornado	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes	15
10 May 2013	DR-4116	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding	47
7 Jun 2011	DR-1991	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	21
17 Mar 2011	DR-1960	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	65
19 Aug 2010	DR-1935	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	11
2 Jul 2009	DR-1850	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes	8
2 Mar 2009	DR-1826	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm	9

Flood insurance claims by year

197820022026

NFIP claims in Illinois by year of loss, 1978 to 2026.

52,890 claims, 41,319 paid, $596M in total; 4,160 repetitive-loss and 505 severe repetitive-loss properties. ZIP codes in Illinois with flood claims (629).

Year by year

Each year's events, declarations and claims: 2026 · 2025 · 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2021 · 2020 · 2019 · 2018 · 2017 · 2016 · 2015 · 2014 · 2013 · 2012 · 2011 · 2010 · 2009 · 2008 · 2007 · 2006 · 2005 · 2004 · 2003 · 2002 · 2001 · 2000 · 1999 · 1998 · 1997 · and earlier years back to 1950

Questions and answers

Which Illinois counties have the most recorded tornadoes?

McLean (122), Will (98) and Sangamon (93), by NCEI count since 1950. Larger counties record more events; the state table also ranks by events per 100 square miles.

Which Illinois counties have the most flood insurance claims?

Cook (15,260), DuPage (3,607) and Peoria (2,547) since 1978, in the OpenFEMA NFIP claims file.

How many federal disaster declarations has Illinois had?

68 declarations since 1953 (major disaster, emergency and fire management assistance declarations combined), 0 of them in 2026 so far.

How does Illinois compare with the national rate?

120.2 recorded events per 100 square miles against 56.0 nationally; 4.2 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 8.1.

Provenance

NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 refreshed 29 Sep 2026; OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026); FEMA National Risk Index December 2025; US Census Bureau 2021 population and area. Built 30 Sep 2026. Methodology.