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Lake County, Illinois severe weather history spans 641 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 46.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #489 nationally and #17 in Illinois.
641
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
155
Direct injuries
$42.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Lake County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lake County, Illinois severe weather history averages 9.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 193 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 52 events fall before 1990 and 589 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lake County, Illinois record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $18.3M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Lake County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 299 | 1 | $5.9M | 78 | 1960–2026 |
| Hail | 185 | 0 | $5K | 2.75 | 1963–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 47 | 0 | $18.3M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 41 | 0 | $600K | 0 | 2001–2026 |
| Lightning | 24 | 1 | $1.9M | 0 | 1996–2018 |
| Tornado | 22 | 1 | $15.7M | F4 | 1957–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 21 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Waterspout | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
Decade by decade
Lake County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
22 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-04-11 | EF4 | 6 | 75 | 9.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-04-21 | EF4 | 1 | 100 | 8.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1972-09-28 | EF4 | 0 | 20 | 5.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-10-08 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 81.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-05-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-04-20 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-04-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-02-27 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lake County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 1967 | Tornado | 1 | 97 | $2.5M | |
| Aug 7, 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | ZION | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 3, 2002 | Lightning | BUFFALO GROVE | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 28, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 20 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 2, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 10 | $0 | |
| May 17, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | WAUCONDA | 0 | 7 | $0 |
| Sep 20, 2018 | Lightning | ROUND LAKE HGTS | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 21, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | FOX LAKE | 0 | 3 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Torrential rain fell across much of Lake County during the morning of July 12th causing widespread flash flooding. Numerous roads were impassable. In Mundelein, numerous houses were flooded and people were rescued by raft. Cars were stranded in flood waters in Libertyville. Garage and basement flooding was reported in Fox Lake. Two day storm total rainfall amounts included 7.22 inches two miles west of Gurnee; 7.13 inches in Round Lake Park; 7.11 inches two miles west southwest of Lake Villa; 6.75 inches in Mundelein; 6.69 inches one mile west of Lake Bluff; 6.46 inches two miles north northeast of Lake Forest; 5.53 inches two miles east of Waukegan; 5.49 inches two miles west northwest of Mundelein; 5.15 inches two miles southeast of Fox Lake; 4.70 inches in Riverwoods and 4.55 inches two miles southeast of Lakemoor. Major flooding with record crests occurred on the Des Plaines River.
A levee was breached in Lincolnshire requiring 49 homes to be evacuated. Route 41 was closed between Route 137 and Route 176. Near Beach Park, water was reported over many roads, ponds were out of banks, and many homes had water up to doorsteps. County emergency managers estimated that 4,500 properties were affected by the flooding.
The tornado touched down near Cedar Lake Road in Round Lake where tree damage occurred. The tornado moved east and damaged hundreds of trees along the 7.5 mile long path, including dozens that were snapped at the base or uprooted. The most significant tree damage was noted in the subdivisions of Grayslake and Wildwood. A roof was blown off of a restaurant along Illinois Route 134 with a sign from the restaurant ending up over two miles away in Grayslake. Several homes and businesses suffered roof damage from either falling trees or loss of shingles. A large part of the roof of the Grayslake Central High School was blown across the street. A nearby skatepark was heavily damaged. The last points of damage were noted along Illinois Route 120 just west of I-94 in unincorporated Wildwood.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
714,223
Population (ACS)
$346K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| May 10, 2013 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 17, 2011 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Jun 24, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 13, 2008 | Snowstorm | RECORD SNOW AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lake County, Illinois?
641 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $42.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lake County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 299 recorded events — 46.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lake County?
22 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lake County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lake County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lake County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lake County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 96 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lake County, Illinois severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Knox County 393
- LaSalle County 753
- Kendall County 365
- Lawrence County 280
- Kankakee County 562
- Lee County 389
Cite this page
“Lake County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/lake-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.