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Illinois tornado risk

102 counties scored 4 rated Very High

Cook County has the highest tornado risk in Illinois, scoring 100 out of 100 — rated "Very High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded tornado events across Illinois have increased 98% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period.

# County NRI score Rating NOAA events
2016–2026
1 Cook County 100 Very High 33
2 DuPage County 99.3 Very High 20
3 Will County 99.2 Very High 33
4 Lake County 98.9 Very High 5
5 Kane County 98.6 Relatively High 23
6 Madison County 97.6 Relatively High 12
7 Winnebago County 97.3 Relatively High 8
8 Sangamon County 97.1 Relatively High 16
9 McHenry County 96.3 Relatively High 7
10 Peoria County 95.8 Relatively High 10
11 St. Clair County 95.5 Relatively High 16
12 Champaign County 94.8 Relatively High 15
13 Rock Island County 91 Relatively High 17
14 Tazewell County 90.5 Relatively High 18
15 Kendall County 89.7 Relatively Moderate 17
16 McLean County 89.6 Relatively Moderate 18
17 DeKalb County 88.1 Relatively Moderate 14
18 Macon County 86.1 Relatively Moderate 18
19 Kankakee County 85.9 Relatively Moderate 18
20 LaSalle County 84.1 Relatively Moderate 20
21 Stephenson County 82.3 Relatively Moderate 8
22 Bureau County 81.7 Relatively Moderate 14
23 Williamson County 80.3 Relatively Moderate 11
24 Randolph County 80.1 Relatively Moderate 7
25 Ogle County 79.9 Relatively Moderate 11
26 Vermilion County 79.7 Relatively Moderate 14
27 Franklin County 79.3 Relatively Moderate 4
28 Jefferson County 79.1 Relatively Moderate 3
29 Whiteside County 78.1 Relatively Moderate 16
30 Macoupin County 78 Relatively Moderate 14
31 Boone County 77.6 Relatively Moderate 11
32 Jackson County 74.2 Relatively Moderate 6
33 Fulton County 74 Relatively Moderate 14
34 Coles County 72.1 Relatively Moderate 8
35 Montgomery County 71.5 Relatively Moderate 21
36 Marion County 70.5 Relatively Moderate 7
37 Henry County 70.4 Relatively Moderate 29
38 Lee County 69.8 Relatively Moderate 10
39 Logan County 69.8 Relatively Moderate 14
40 Grundy County 68.8 Relatively Moderate 7
41 Jo Daviess County 68.8 Relatively Moderate 6
42 Saline County 68.5 Relatively Moderate 6
43 Knox County 67.8 Relatively Moderate 8
44 Massac County 66.5 Relatively Moderate 5
45 Clinton County 65.8 Relatively Moderate 7
46 Effingham County 63.6 Relatively Low 10
47 Union County 61.6 Relatively Low 5
48 Perry County 60.6 Relatively Low 3
49 White County 59.9 Relatively Low 6
50 Adams County 58.8 Relatively Low 5
51 Bond County 58.5 Relatively Low 3
52 Monroe County 58.3 Relatively Low 10
53 Iroquois County 57.2 Relatively Low 16
54 Johnson County 56 Relatively Low 3
55 Carroll County 55.9 Relatively Low 4
56 Fayette County 53.4 Relatively Low 6
57 Menard County 53.2 Relatively Low 5
58 Woodford County 52.7 Relatively Low 11
59 Livingston County 52.4 Relatively Low 12
60 Richland County 52.4 Relatively Low 5
61 Mason County 52.1 Relatively Low 10
62 McDonough County 52 Relatively Low 15
63 Morgan County 49.6 Relatively Low 12
64 Edgar County 48.1 Relatively Low 5
65 Douglas County 47.2 Relatively Low 4
66 Wayne County 46.9 Relatively Low 3
67 Moultrie County 45.9 Relatively Low 8
68 Lawrence County 45.7 Relatively Low 1
69 Christian County 44.8 Relatively Low 24
70 Crawford County 44.4 Relatively Low 6
71 Piatt County 44.3 Relatively Low 6
72 Washington County 44.2 Relatively Low 2
73 De Witt County 44.1 Relatively Low 3
74 Ford County 44.1 Relatively Low 7
75 Alexander County 43.2 Relatively Low 1
76 Clay County 41.4 Relatively Low 6
77 Marshall County 40.4 Relatively Low 8
78 Shelby County 39.8 Relatively Low 5
79 Jersey County 38.1 Relatively Low 7
80 Clark County 37.8 Relatively Low 4
81 Pulaski County 37.6 Relatively Low 2
82 Hamilton County 37.3 Relatively Low 1
83 Gallatin County 37 Relatively Low 4
84 Hancock County 34.5 Relatively Low 3
85 Pike County 33 Relatively Low 5
86 Putnam County 32.7 Relatively Low 4
87 Cass County 32.6 Relatively Low 10
88 Greene County 31.9 Relatively Low 4
89 Hardin County 31.3 Relatively Low 1
90 Cumberland County 30.1 Relatively Low 6
91 Edwards County 30 Relatively Low 0
92 Pope County 29.7 Relatively Low 2
93 Jasper County 29.4 Relatively Low 6
94 Wabash County 29.1 Relatively Low 2
95 Henderson County 28.6 Relatively Low 0
96 Warren County 28.5 Relatively Low 8
97 Schuyler County 27.6 Relatively Low 4
98 Stark County 25.7 Very Low 6
99 Mercer County 22.5 Very Low 11
100 Calhoun County 18.8 Very Low 1
101 Brown County 17.7 Very Low 2
102 Scott County 15.2 Very Low 3

Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.

Tornado risk nationally:

Top 50 US counties

Other hazard risks in Illinois:

WildfireInland FloodingCoastal FloodingEarthquakeHeat WaveHurricaneHailStrong WindWinter WeatherIce StormCold WaveLightningDroughtLandslideAvalancheTsunamiVolcanic Activity

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest tornado risk county in Illinois?

Cook County, IL has the highest tornado risk in Illinois, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 100 out of 100 (rated "Very High").

How many counties in Illinois are rated Very High for tornado risk?

4 of 102 scored Illinois counties are rated "Very High" for tornado risk by FEMA's National Risk Index.

What causes tornado risk in Illinois?

Tornado risk concentrates in the central and southern plains ("Tornado Alley") and the Southeast ("Dixie Alley"), where atmospheric conditions favor supercell thunderstorm development. The highest scores often belong to counties with significant mobile home and manufactured housing stock, which carries disproportionate tornado mortality risk.