Warren is calmer than 82% of U.S. communities
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Warren comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 99 claims here since 1979.
What stands out about Warren’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Warren?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 18% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.
Calmer than 2,766 of the 2,886 Illinois towns we cover.
Warren covers 14 census tracts, combined by population.
The storms Warren remembers
None of the disasters declared for Lake County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Warren itself in FEMA’s records.
- 201721 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
- 200422 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
- 198621 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
Lake County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and floods.
Old photos of Warren after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Warren archive →What Warren faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Tornadoes
Cold waves
Does Warren flood? Sometimes: 99 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Warren, from FEMA’s records.
- The Mid-spring storms7 claims · $512K
- The Midwest Flooding1 claim · $6K
Warren isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lake County.Get ready for what Warren 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.
- 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.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Warren and its neighbors
Warren ranks 6th calmest of 11 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avon | Moderate | inland flooding | 148 |
| Grayslake | Low | inland flooding | 14 |
| Third Lake | Low | inland flooding | 0 |
| Libertyville | Low | inland flooding | 119 |
| Gurnee | Low | inland flooding | 86 |
| Warren | Very low | inland flooding | 99 |
| Waukegan | Very low | inland flooding | 39 |
| Newport | Very low | inland flooding | 13 |
| Waukegan | Very low | inland flooding | 26 |
| Beach Park | Very low | inland flooding | 14 |
| Park City | Very low | inland flooding | 1 |
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 Warren’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Warren.
- 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. Across Warren, expected losses total about $21.3M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Warren.
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.