Data · Illinois

Illinois storm damage and disaster statistics

Compiled from NOAA and FEMA data, November 10, 2026 How the figures are built

In short

From 2016 to 2025 the National Weather Service logged 20,278 storm event reports in Illinois, with property damage estimates totalling $1.5 billion. That is the 14th highest of the 50 states and D.C.

Damaging wind was reported most often (8,115 reports). Flood accounted for the most reported damage ($1.2 billion). FEMA has issued 24 major disaster declarations for Illinois since 2000.

20,278

storm event reports, 2016–2025

$1.5B

property damage estimated in those reports

major disaster declarations since 2000

2,878

hail reports, 196 of two inches or larger

875

tornado reports, 75 rated EF2 or stronger

$945M

home damage verified by FEMA inspectors since 2002

Reported storm damage in Illinois, year by year

Property damage estimated in National Weather Service storm reports for Illinois. Not insured losses, and not adjusted for inflation.

Largest single damage estimate

$500 million

Flash Flood, Cook, 2023. Large events are recorded county by county, so one disaster can appear as several entries.

A quiet year on this chart can mean few damaging storms, or storms whose reports carried no damage estimate.

What hits Illinois: reports and damage by type

Damaging wind 8,115
Winter weather 3,317
Hail 2,878
Flood 2,090
Tornado 875
Lightning 63
Wildfire 7

Storm event reports by type, 2016 to 2025.

Flood $1.2B
Tornado $198M
Damaging wind $43.0M
Hail $25.9M
Winter weather $3.3M
Lightning $1.7M
Wildfire $25K

Property damage estimated in those reports, 2016 to 2025.

Federal disasters in Illinois

FEMA has recorded 24 major disaster declarations, 7 emergency declarations and 0 fire management declarations for Illinois since 2000.

The most recent major disaster declaration in this data is Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Floodng (flood), declared September 20, 2024.

Some states change their rules on public adjuster fees and contracts after a declared disaster. See what a declaration changes.

Severe Storm 13
Flood 6
Tornado 2
Biological 1
Snowstorm 1
Severe Ice Storm 1

Major disaster declarations by cause since 2000.

Home damage FEMA has verified in Illinois

After a declared disaster, homeowners can register with FEMA and have their home inspected. These are the totals for Illinois since 2003.

336,878

homeowners registered, across 18 disasters

$945M

damage verified by FEMA inspectors

$982M

individual assistance FEMA approved for those owners

308,602

homes inspected

1,108

inspections that found more than $30,000 of damage

$3,064

average verified damage per inspected home

FEMA assistance is not insurance and is capped. It measures damage against its own habitability standard, and it counts only owners who registered and were inspected.

How Illinois ranks

Illinois compared with the other states and the District of Columbia
Measure	Illinois	Rank of 51	In context
Storm event reports	20,278	9th	160 per 100,000 residents
Reported property damage	$1.5 billion	14th	$118 per resident
Hail reports	2,878	10th	196 of two inches or larger
Tornado reports	875	4th	75 rated EF2 or stronger
Major disaster declarations since 2000	24	32nd	7 emergency declarations
FEMA-verified home damage since 2002	$945 million	8th	336,878 homeowners registered

If you have a claim in Illinois

Illinois questions

What causes the most storm damage in Illinois?

Flood accounts for the most property damage in National Weather Service reports for Illinois from 2016 to 2025: $1.2 billion of a $1.5 billion total. Damaging wind is the most frequently reported, with 8,115 reports.

How often does it hail in Illinois?

The National Weather Service logged 2,878 hail reports in Illinois from 2016 to 2025. 196 involved hail two inches or larger, and the largest reported stone measured 4.5 inches. One storm can produce several reports.

How many tornadoes does Illinois get?

875 tornado segments were recorded in Illinois from 2016 to 2025, and 75 were rated EF2 or stronger. A tornado that crosses a county line is recorded once per county.

How many federal disasters has Illinois had?

FEMA records 24 major disaster declarations and 7 emergency declarations for Illinois since 2000. The most common cause of a major disaster declaration was severe storm.

How much home damage has FEMA verified in Illinois?

Since 2003, 336,878 homeowners in Illinois registered with FEMA across 18 disasters. Inspectors verified $945 million in damage and FEMA approved $982 million in individual assistance. These figures cover only people who registered and were inspected.

Use this data

You are welcome to quote these figures and reuse the charts in news stories, research and blog posts. Please credit the page with a link.

PublicAdjuster.cc, "Illinois storm damage and disaster statistics," https://publicadjuster.cc/data/illinois/. Compiled from the NOAA Storm Events Database and FEMA OpenFEMA data, November 10, 2026.

Download all states (CSV) How the figures are built

The underlying records are published by NOAA, FEMA and the U.S. Census Bureau. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).