Natural disaster risk in Stephenson County, Illinois
Illinois · population 44,602 · FIPS 17177
Overall: relatively low risk
Stephenson County has a composite risk score of 73.9 out of 100 — higher than 73% of US counties. It ranks 30 of 102 in Illinois (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are strong wind, hail, tornado.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Stephenson County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 3 weeks in a row.
Drought in Stephenson 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 73.9 |
| Expected annual loss About $28.9 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 71.5 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 56.7 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 68.6 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Stephenson County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Strong wind | Relatively high 85 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 93 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Drought | Relatively moderate 81 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 80 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 77 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 69 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 63 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 47 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 44 |
| Earthquake | Very low 57 |
| Landslide | Very low 52 |
| Wildfire | Very low 26 |
| Hurricane | Very low 15 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Stephenson County
Federal declarations that designated Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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 Stephenson County, Illinois?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Stephenson County as relatively low, with a score of 73.9 out of 100 (higher than 73% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Stephenson County?
The hazards rated highest for Stephenson County are strong wind (relatively high), hail (relatively moderate), tornado (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Stephenson County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Stephenson County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Stephenson County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Stephenson County.
Is Stephenson County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Stephenson County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 3 weeks in a row.
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