Natural hazards · Joliet

Joliet, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Joliet comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 635 claims here since 1978.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Joliet?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Joliet to be higher than in 60% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding56%Cold waves22%Tornadoes17%Everything else6%

By hazard

What Joliet faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

56% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Cold waves

22% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 18% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

17% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Joliet flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Joliet, from FEMA’s records.

635paid claims since 1978

$3.1Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Ike: 5 claims, $23K
Mid-spring storms: 3 claims, $21K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Joliet isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Will County.

Disasters that hit Joliet

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Will County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Joliet itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into JolietDeclared for Will County only

Will County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Joliet

Joliet and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Jolietmostly inland floodingHigh

Troymostly inland floodingModerate

Jolietmostly inland floodingModerate

Jacksonmostly inland floodingLow

New Lenoxmostly inland floodingLow

Fairmontmostly inland floodingLow

Lockportmostly inland floodingVery low

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Joliet covers 28 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Joliet’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Joliet. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Joliet total about $40.4M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.