Natural disaster risk in Coles County, Illinois
Illinois · population 46,818 · FIPS 17029
Overall: relatively low risk
Coles County has a composite risk score of 70.4 out of 100 — higher than 70% of US counties. It ranks 35 of 102 in Illinois (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, winter weather, cold wave.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 26.86% of Coles County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for 1 week so far.
Drought in Coles County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Relatively low 70.4 |
| Expected annual loss About $30.8 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 73 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 30.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 74 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Coles County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively moderate 89 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 78 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 74 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 74 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 72 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 56 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 87 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 70 |
| Hail | Relatively low 69 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 66 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 44 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 44 |
| Hurricane | Very low 38 |
| Wildfire | Very low 9 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Coles County
Federal declarations that designated Coles County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Coles County.
All FEMA declarations in Illinois, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's 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). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Coles County, Illinois?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Coles County as relatively low, with a score of 70.4 out of 100 (higher than 70% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Coles County?
The hazards rated highest for Coles County are drought (relatively moderate), winter weather (relatively moderate), cold wave (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Coles County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Coles County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Coles County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Coles County.
Is Coles County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 26.86% of Coles County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for 1 week so far.
Every county in Illinois, ranked · All states · Disasters near me