Lake County, Indiana: hazard risk
FEMA rates Lake County's overall risk Relatively High (score 95.9 of 100, higher than 95% of rated U.S. counties); 6 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by cold wave, tornado, riverine flooding. Its storm record holds 866 events since 1950.
FEMA's rating for each hazard
These are FEMA's county-wide model ratings and this county's storm record. They are not an assessment of any property, address or building, and not insurance advice: a property's risk depends on its own elevation, construction and location.
FEMA gives each hazard its own rating, and a rating does not follow the score from one hazard to the next: a hazard with a higher score can carry a lower rating than another. The table sorts by FEMA's rating, then by score (0 to 100, the county against every other county for that hazard).
| Hazard | Risk rating | Score | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Very High | 99.4 | $47M |
| Tornado | Very High | 99.1 | $41M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 96.2 | $90M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 94.3 | $576K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | 92.8 | $2.3M |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 92.6 | $1.3M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 92.8 | $3.9M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | 76.6 | $299K |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 89.1 | $4.3M |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 71.4 | $560K |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 66.1 | $120K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 54.7 | $2K |
| Coastal Flooding | Very Low | 41.2 | $20K |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 18.6 | $5K |
| Drought | No Rating | 0.0 | $0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. A model of future loss, not a count of past events. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
What the record holds
| Hazard | Records | Deaths | Damage | Rank in state | Rank in U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 365 | 2 | $6.5M | 45th of 91 | 708th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 146 | 0 | $82K | 13th of 91 | 654th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 106 | 0 | $71M | 35th of 91 | 340th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 87 | 0 | $145K | 36th of 91 | 824th of 3,077 |
| Tornadoes | 53 | 0 | $26M | 7th of 91 | 211th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 45 | 0 | $4.5M | 7th of 91 | 472nd of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 17 | 0 | – | 10th of 91 | 755th of 3,076 |
| Lightning | 13 | 2 | $245K | 9th of 91 | 293rd of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 11 | 0 | – | 8th of 91 | 661st of 3,080 |
| Heat | 9 | 0 | – | 13th of 91 | 1057th of 3,076 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 6 | 7 | – | 2nd of 91 | 93rd of 2,080 |
| Drought | 4 | 0 | – | 51st of 91 | 2077th of 3,063 |
| Wildfires | 2 | 0 | – | 3rd of 91 | 590th of 2,972 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Lake County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.