Flood Risk in Chicago, IL
Risk Level: Extreme — Score 9/10
Live Flood alert status near Chicago
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Live flood map around Chicago
Shows flood warnings and events that are active right now, refreshed through the day. When none are active, the map is empty by design.
Key Risk Factors
- FEMA rates Chicago's county as Very High risk for this hazard
- Estimated annual loss of $1,097M from this hazard type
- Extensive history of significant events in this area
- High recent activity — multiple events in the 12 months to Aug 9, 2026
- Average annual frequency: 5.9 events per year
Peak season: March-September
Last significant event: Flood - Chicago metro area, United States (2026-03-15) — 4,890,000 people exposed
Highest Risk Cities for Floods
How Chicago Compares
Notable Flood Events Near Chicago
DisasterAWARE's historical archive records 5 notable flood events near Chicago, ranked below by impact. The most impactful: Flood - Chicago metro area, United States (March 2026) — 4,890,000 people exposed; $778,891M capital exposed.
Flood - Chicago metro area, United States
March 15, 2026 — ADVISORY
4,890,000 people exposed; $778,891M capital exposed
Flood - Chicago, IL--IN Region, United States
July 9, 2025 — WARNING
573,000 people exposed; $133,535M capital exposed
Flood - Chicago, IL--IN Region, United States
July 2, 2023 — WARNING
Impact data not available
Flood - Chicago, IL--IN Region, United States
September 11, 2022 — WARNING
Impact data not available
Flood - Chicago, IL--IN Region, United States
February 25, 2020 — WARNING
Impact data not available
Flood Preparedness Tips
- 1.Know if your property is in a flood zone — check FEMA maps
- 2.Consider flood insurance even if not in a high-risk zone
- 3.Never drive through flooded roadways — Turn Around, Don’t Drown
- 4.Move valuables and important documents to upper floors
- 5.Install sump pumps and check valves in plumbing
Related Pages
How this data is built
Chicago, IL flood risk combines Historical Event Intelligence with authoritative hazard modeling from the Geospatial Intelligence Layers catalog. Live flood monitoring is available through the Event Intelligence API and the DisasterAWARE Platform.
The data behind this page
Every score and event here comes from DisasterAWARE's hazard database — available as downloadable historical datasets and a real-time API.
Monitor Flood Risk in Real Time
Get real-time flood alerts for Chicago, IL and hundreds of other locations with DisasterAWARE's enterprise platform.