Illinois rip currents and high surf
Every recorded rip current or surf record since 1996 · 2 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 32 rip current and surf records in Illinois from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 2.7 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 21, 2025 high surf in Cook County: 2 deaths and 1 injury across 2 records. Illinois ranks 18th of 34 states and territories by count and 21st of 34 per square mile.
Rip currents and high surf in Illinois, 1996 to 2026
Surf records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 321996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 2.7average
- Deaths
- 2611 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- –as filed
- Busiest year
- 20247 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are rip current and surf records common in Illinois?
Illinois averages about 2.7 rip current and surf records a year since 2000, 18th of 34 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2024 (7). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Illinois records 5.8 rip current and surf records since 1996, 21st of 34 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Illinois have the most rip current and surf records?
Per square mile, Cook County leads Illinois: 26 days with a rip current or surf record since 1996, 27.5 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Cook County has the most surf records (28 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the surf season in Illinois?
56% of its rip current and surf records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is August (12 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 0 · Apr 1 · May 4 · Jun 4 · Jul 6 · Aug 12 · Sep 3 · Oct 0 · Nov 1 · Dec 1 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest rip current and surf records in Illinois?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-06-21 | High SurfCook County · forecast zone Central Cook County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. Strong winds on the 21st generated high waves and deadly currents on southern Lake Michigan beaches, resulting in several water rescues and a couple of fatalities. The Harrison-Dever Crib was regularly reporting wind gusts between 45 and 55 mph during the afternoon out of the southwest, with a peak gust of 62 mph. | 2 | 1 | – | |
| 2021-08-22 | Rip CurrentCook County · forecast zone Central Cook County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. North winds produced high waves of 4 to 6 feet on southern Lake Michigan on August 22nd. A 19 year old man drowned after jumping into Lake Michigan during the morning near West Pratt Avenue in Chicago. In a separate incident around the same time, two Northwestern University students were tossing around a football at ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2020-09-10 | Rip CurrentCook County · forecast zone Cenrtral Cook County One storm episode: 2 records, 2020-09-10 to 2020-09-11; the totals are the episode's. In the early morning of September 10th, a 20 year old male was walking with two friends near Oak Street Beach. He decided to jump into Lake Michigan and needed to be rescued by the Chicago Police Marine unit. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition and died a few hours later. Waves were around 5 feet. In the ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2018-11-04 | Rip CurrentLake County · forecast zone Lake A ten member cold weather swimming team entered rough waters near the Park Avenue Beach and Boating Facility near Highland Park on November 4th and were quickly swept offshore. Strong southeast winds were producing waves between 8 feet and 10 feet at the Wilmette Buoy. Two people from the team drowned. A 46 year old ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-06-30 | Rip CurrentCook County · forecast zone Northern Cook County Four people required rescuing while swimming near Lighthouse Beach during the afternoon of the 30th. Three of the four swimmers, two teenage girls and one adult woman, were rescued. One of the teenagers was transported to a hospital where she was treated and released while the others did not require hospital ... | 1 | 3 | – | |
| 2024-08-18 | Rip CurrentCook County · forecast zone Cook One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A couple of water rescues were required at Illinois Lake Michigan beaches on the 18th. One 16 year old boy unfortunately succumbed to the dangerous swimming conditions. | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2024-08-07 | Rip CurrentCook County · forecast zone Cook Two men required rescuing after jumping into the lake near 12th Street Beach on the afternoon of the 7th. Both men were recovered and transported to a local hospital in critical condition. One of the individuals later died in the hospital. A Beach Hazards Statement was in effect at the time advertising 4 to 7 foot ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2021-09-18 | Rip CurrentCook County · forecast zone Northern Cook County Strong winds produced high waves and rip currents on September 18th. Three swimmers were struggling in the water off the breakwater near the Church Street boat ramp. First responders pulled a mother and her daughter out of the water along with a man who entered the water to help the struggling swimmers. The man and ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2018-12-21 | Rip CurrentCook County · forecast zone Cook Two men and one woman decided to jump into Lake Michigan near North Avenue Beach in Chicago just before 8 am on December 21st. The water temperature was 38 degrees and waves were estimated around 6 feet with north winds to 30 knots. One of the men was able to pull himself out of the water. The second man was rescued ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2012-05-24 | Rip CurrentCook County · forecast zone Cook Three girls were dangling their feet off a breakwall near Loyola Park Beach near Greenleaf Avenue when a large wave knocked all three into the water during the late afternoon of Thursday, May 24th. Two were rescued, one of whom was taken to the hospital in good condition. Search crews found the body of the third girl, ... | 1 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
Are rip current and surf records becoming more frequent in Illinois?
Illinois's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Illinois | United States | Illinois's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 0 | 1,021 | 0 |
| 2000s | 3 | 4,386 | 0.1% |
| 2010s | 5 | 5,810 | 0.1% |
| 2020-26 | 24 | 2,346 | 1.0% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent rip current and surf records in Illinois
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-28 | High SurfCook County · forecast zone Cook | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-16 | High SurfCook County · forecast zone Northern Cook County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-20 | High SurfCook County · forecast zone Northern Cook County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-06-21 | High SurfCook County · forecast zone Central Cook County | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2025-06-21 | High SurfCook County · forecast zone Central Cook County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-08-18 | Rip CurrentCook County · forecast zone Cook | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-08-18 | Rip CurrentLake County · forecast zone Lake | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2024-08-07 | Rip CurrentCook County · forecast zone Cook | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2024-07-01 | Rip CurrentCook County · forecast zone Central Cook County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-06-30 | Rip CurrentCook County · forecast zone Northern Cook County | 1 | 3 | – | |
| 2023-08-15 | Rip CurrentCook County · forecast zone Northern Cook County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-06-21 | Rip CurrentCook County · forecast zone Central Cook County | 1 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Next
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