Natural hazards · Oswego

Oswego, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Oswego comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1996. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Oswego?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Oswego to be higher than in 43% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding43%Cold waves32%Tornadoes17%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Oswego faces

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

Inland flooding

43% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

32% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 21% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

17% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 89% 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 Oswego flood?

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

13paid claims since 1996

$224Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19962026

Biggest named events

Mid-spring storms: 2 claims, $25K
Hurricane Ike: 1 claim, $9K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Kendall County.

Disasters that hit Oswego

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Oswego itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Township of Oswego.

Brought FEMA money into OswegoDeclared for Kendall County only

1999

Il-Winter Storm 1/1/99

$18K to the Township of Oswego for repairs

Kendall County has had 11 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and floods.

Around Oswego

Oswego and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Bristolmostly inland floodingHigh

Wheatlandmostly inland floodingModerate

Oswegomostly inland floodingModerate

Auroramostly inland floodingLow

Kendallmostly inland floodingLow

Na-Au-Saymostly inland floodingLow

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. Oswego covers 10 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Oswego’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Oswego. 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 Oswego total about $30.6M 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.