Cold Wave Risk in Illinois
All Illinois counties ranked by FEMA National Risk Index cold wave score
Cold Wave risk — prolonged spells of dangerously low temperatures — is rated for 102 of 102 Illinois counties in FEMA's National Risk Index. Cook County carries the state's highest cold wave score at 100.0, with $700M in expected annual cold wave losses.
26 Illinois counties are rated High or Very High for cold wave, and expected annual losses from cold wave total roughly $1.39B statewide. The full ranking below links to each county's complete 18-hazard risk profile.
County Rankings — Cold Wave
| # | County | Cold Wave Score | Rating | Ann. Freq. | Ann. Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cook County | Very High | 4.25 / yr | $700M | |
| 2 | DuPage County | Very High | 4.64 / yr | $72M | |
| 3 | Will County | Very High | 4.30 / yr | $72M | |
| 4 | Kane County | Very High | 5.86 / yr | $50M | |
| 5 | Lake County | Very High | 4.57 / yr | $43M | |
| 6 | Peoria County | High | 5.37 / yr | $25M | |
| 7 | McLean County | High | 4.89 / yr | $26M | |
| 8 | Winnebago County | High | 5.74 / yr | $20M | |
| 9 | Champaign County | High | 3.95 / yr | $21M | |
| 10 | McHenry County | High | 5.69 / yr | $23M | |
| 11 | Sangamon County | High | 3.42 / yr | $16M | |
| 12 | LaSalle County | High | 5.26 / yr | $15M | |
| 13 | St. Clair County | High | 1.42 / yr | $15M | |
| 14 | Kendall County | High | 5.16 / yr | $23M | |
| 15 | Madison County | High | 1.79 / yr | $15M | |
| 16 | Rock Island County | High | 6.26 / yr | $11M | |
| 17 | Tazewell County | High | 5.11 / yr | $13M | |
| 18 | Kankakee County | High | 3.79 / yr | $10M | |
| 19 | DeKalb County | High | 5.89 / yr | $12M | |
| 20 | Morgan County | High | 3.26 / yr | $10M | |
| 21 | Grundy County | High | 4.89 / yr | $20M | |
| 22 | Iroquois County | High | 3.63 / yr | $10M | |
| 23 | Vermilion County | High | 3.79 / yr | $8M | |
| 24 | Macon County | High | 3.21 / yr | $8M | |
| 25 | Franklin County | High | 1.21 / yr | $5M | |
| 26 | Jackson County | High | 1.21 / yr | $5M | |
| 27 | Perry County | Medium | 1.21 / yr | $5M | |
| 28 | Williamson County | Medium | 1.16 / yr | $5M | |
| 29 | Macoupin County | Medium | 2.42 / yr | $5M | |
| 30 | Cass County | Medium | 3.58 / yr | $5M | |
| 31 | Livingston County | Medium | 4.58 / yr | $5M | |
| 32 | Shelby County | Medium | 2.53 / yr | $5M | |
| 33 | Christian County | Medium | 2.68 / yr | $5M | |
| 34 | Pulaski County | Medium | 1.05 / yr | $3M | |
| 35 | Adams County | Medium | 4.26 / yr | $4M | |
| 36 | Stephenson County | Medium | 6.32 / yr | $3M | |
| 37 | Ogle County | Medium | 5.68 / yr | $5M | |
| 38 | Logan County | Medium | 3.95 / yr | $3M | |
| 39 | Fulton County | Medium | 5.21 / yr | $3M | |
| 40 | Whiteside County | Medium | 6.11 / yr | $3M | |
| 41 | Boone County | Medium | 5.63 / yr | $3M | |
| 42 | Randolph County | Medium | 1.26 / yr | $2M | |
| 43 | Knox County | Medium | 5.58 / yr | $3M | |
| 44 | Montgomery County | Medium | 2.26 / yr | $2M | |
| 45 | Jo Daviess County | Medium | 6.84 / yr | $3M | |
| 46 | Coles County | Medium | 2.37 / yr | $3M | |
| 47 | Marion County | Medium | 1.47 / yr | $2M | |
| 48 | McDonough County | Medium | 4.37 / yr | $2M | |
| 49 | Woodford County | Medium | 5.21 / yr | $4M | |
| 50 | De Witt County | Medium | 4.16 / yr | $2M | |
| 51 | Bureau County | Medium | 5.11 / yr | $2M | |
| 52 | Douglas County | Medium | 2.74 / yr | $2M | |
| 53 | Saline County | Medium | 1.16 / yr | $1M | |
| 54 | Moultrie County | Medium | 2.58 / yr | $2M | |
| 55 | Lee County | Medium | 5.79 / yr | $2M | |
| 56 | Mason County | Medium | 4.37 / yr | $2M | |
| 57 | Clinton County | Medium | 1.42 / yr | $2M | |
| 58 | Union County | Medium | 1.11 / yr | $2M | |
| 59 | Ford County | Medium | 3.68 / yr | $2M | |
| 60 | Hancock County | Medium | 4.26 / yr | $2M | |
| 61 | Johnson County | Low | 1.11 / yr | $1M | |
| 62 | Jefferson County | Low | 1.21 / yr | $1M | |
| 63 | Fayette County | Low | 1.79 / yr | $2M | |
| 64 | Henry County | Low | 5.37 / yr | $2M | |
| 65 | Pike County | Low | 3.42 / yr | $1M | |
| 66 | Schuyler County | Low | 4.47 / yr | $1M | |
| 67 | Piatt County | Low | 3.84 / yr | $2M | |
| 68 | Effingham County | Low | 1.63 / yr | $2M | |
| 69 | Washington County | Low | 1.37 / yr | $1M | |
| 70 | Marshall County | Low | 5.37 / yr | $1M | |
| 71 | Carroll County | Low | 6.32 / yr | $1M | |
| 72 | Menard County | Low | 3.58 / yr | $945K | |
| 73 | Jersey County | Low | 2.21 / yr | $2M | |
| 74 | Warren County | Low | 4.63 / yr | $1M | |
| 75 | Bond County | Low | 1.68 / yr | $1M | |
| 76 | Edgar County | Low | 2.53 / yr | $1M | |
| 77 | Greene County | Low | 2.53 / yr | $1M | |
| 78 | Massac County | Low | 1.00 / yr | $767K | |
| 79 | Monroe County | Low | 1.37 / yr | $2M | |
| 80 | Brown County | Low | 4.16 / yr | $922K | |
| 81 | Wayne County | Low | 1.16 / yr | $870K | |
| 82 | Clark County | Low | 1.84 / yr | $783K | |
| 83 | Clay County | Low | 1.37 / yr | $667K | |
| 84 | White County | Low | 1.16 / yr | $594K | |
| 85 | Cumberland County | Low | 1.89 / yr | $565K | |
| 86 | Richland County | Low | 1.37 / yr | $546K | |
| 87 | Alexander County | Low | 1.05 / yr | $395K | |
| 88 | Lawrence County | Low | 1.37 / yr | $486K | |
| 89 | Crawford County | Low | 1.47 / yr | $607K | |
| 90 | Mercer County | Low | 5.37 / yr | $777K | |
| 91 | Gallatin County | Low | 1.16 / yr | $300K | |
| 92 | Putnam County | Low | 5.11 / yr | $483K | |
| 93 | Hamilton County | Low | 1.16 / yr | $545K | |
| 94 | Scott County | Low | 3.26 / yr | $612K | |
| 95 | Wabash County | Low | 1.16 / yr | $305K | |
| 96 | Stark County | Low | 5.47 / yr | $377K | |
| 97 | Jasper County | Low | 1.47 / yr | $427K | |
| 98 | Henderson County | Low | 4.74 / yr | $225K | |
| 99 | Pope County | Very Low | 1.05 / yr | $237K | |
| 100 | Calhoun County | Very Low | 2.26 / yr | $292K | |
| 101 | Edwards County | Very Low | 1.16 / yr | $157K | |
| 102 | Hardin County | Very Low | 1.05 / yr | $179K |
102 Illinois counties with measurable cold wave risk. See the national cold wave ranking or all Illinois counties by overall risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Illinois county has the highest cold wave risk?
Cook County has the highest FEMA cold wave risk score in Illinois at 100.0 (Very High), with $700M in expected annual losses and about 4.25 events per year.
How many Illinois counties face significant cold wave risk?
102 Illinois counties record measurable cold wave risk in FEMA's National Risk Index; 26 of them are rated High or Very High.