Port Barrington’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Port Barrington comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 57 claims here since 1979. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Port Barrington’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Port Barrington flood? Sometimes: 57 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Port Barrington, from FEMA’s records.
- The Mid-spring storms9 claims · $210K
Port Barrington is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Lake County.How exposed is Port Barrington?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 64% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Rated higher than 1,906 of the 2,886 Illinois towns we cover.
Port Barrington is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
What Port Barrington faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Cold waves
Tornadoes
2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Port Barrington
Disasters that paid out in Port Barrington itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Port Barrington) and its biggest flood years.
- 201711 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
- 2013Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding15 households applied for aid$12K aid approved$30K to the Village of Port Barrington for repairs9 flood claims paid that year
- 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$7K to the Village of Port Barrington for repairs
- 197911 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
Lake County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and floods.
Old photos of Port Barrington after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Port Barrington archive →Get ready for what Port Barrington actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
- Port Barrington residents get 15% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Port Barrington and its neighbors
Port Barrington ranks 4th calmest of 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Island Lake | Very high | inland flooding | 1 |
| Nunda | High | inland flooding | 228 |
| Port Barrington | High | inland flooding | 57 |
| Cuba | High | inland flooding | 60 |
| Algonquin | Moderate | inland flooding | 192 |
| Wauconda | Moderate | inland flooding | 31 |
| Lake Barrington | Low | inland flooding | 3 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in March–April
The month each of Lake County’s 15 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Port Barrington’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Village of Port Barrington.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Port Barrington.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.