Hazard Mitigation Plan update · Section 4 draft · prepared October 3, 2026
Jo Daviess County, Illinois Hazard Profiles
Draft. Built from public National Weather Service storm records (NOAA Storm Events, 1980 to June 2026). Not an adopted plan and not reviewed by FEMA.
Jo Daviess County's plan, the JoDaviess 2021 Hazard Mitigation Plan, expired January 11, 2026 in FEMA's plan-status data, with no update recorded as in progress on October 3, 2026. This chapter drafts the hazard-profile section of the update from 603 storm reports for the county, every one traceable to a NOAA event ID.
At a glance
7 hazards appear in the federal storm record for Jo Daviess County. Winter storms are the most frequent; flooding accounts for the most recorded deaths and damage.
Hazard
Days with reports, 1996–2025
Years with at least one
Deaths*
Injuries*
Property damage entered*
Thunderstorm wind
104
29/30
0
5
$1.6M
Hail
47
20/30
0
0
$271K
Tornado
8
8/30
0
0
$0
Flooding
53
25/30
3
0
$16.6M
Winter storms
161
29/30
0
0
$18K
Lightning
4
3/30
0
0
$34K
High wind (no storm)
17
11/30
0
0
$123K
* All years on record (tornado, wind and hail from the 1980s; other hazards from 1996). Dollars are as entered, not adjusted for inflation.
How often, year by year
Days with at least one report, 1996 to 2025. Each panel has its own scale. Hover a bar for the year.
Thunderstorm wind104 days · 29 of 30 yearsHail47 days · 20 of 30 yearsFlooding53 days · 25 of 30 yearsTornado8 days · 8 of 30 yearsWinter storms161 days · 29 of 30 yearsLightning4 days · 3 of 30 years
Show the numbers behind the charts
Year
Thunderstorm wind
Hail
Tornado
Flooding
Winter storms
Lightning
High wind (no storm)
1996
0
0
0
0
4
0
1
1997
3
1
0
2
5
0
3
1998
4
2
0
1
5
0
1
1999
1
2
1
2
5
0
0
2000
3
2
0
2
14
0
0
2001
1
1
0
2
8
0
3
2002
3
0
0
2
2
0
0
2003
2
0
0
1
2
1
3
2004
5
2
0
4
1
0
1
2005
5
1
0
1
2
0
0
2006
2
4
0
1
4
0
0
2007
4
0
1
2
17
2
0
2008
8
8
0
5
17
0
1
2009
4
2
0
1
7
0
0
2010
5
3
0
4
8
0
0
2011
2
3
1
4
4
0
0
2012
1
0
0
0
5
0
0
2013
4
3
1
0
7
0
0
2014
1
3
0
1
5
0
1
2015
3
1
0
2
5
0
0
2016
4
2
0
1
0
0
1
2017
7
2
1
2
2
0
0
2018
2
0
0
1
5
0
0
2019
6
0
0
4
6
0
1
2020
5
0
1
1
4
0
0
2021
3
0
0
0
5
0
1
2022
5
1
0
1
2
1
0
2023
5
2
1
2
5
0
0
2024
4
2
1
4
3
0
0
2025
2
0
0
0
2
0
0
When in the year
Days with reports by month, 1996 to 2025. Darker means more days.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Thunderstorm wind
1
4
4
9
26
31
15
9
3
2
Hail
1
3
2
10
12
8
6
2
1
1
1
Tornado
1
2
2
2
1
Flooding
1
8
7
13
15
6
2
1
Winter storms
44
36
18
5
1
8
49
Lightning
1
3
High wind (no storm)
5
3
2
1
2
2
2
Tornado tracks, 1993–2026
14 tornadoes. Lines run from touchdown to lift within the county; dots are tornadoes recorded at a single point. Hover a track for its date and rating.
F0/EF0F1/EF1F2/EF2F3 or strongerF5Unrated
County outline from the Census Bureau (simplified); community labels sit at the average location of reports naming them.
Hazard profiles
Each profile answers FEMA's questions for hazard identification: what it is, where, how bad (extent), what has happened, and how likely it is to happen again.
Tornado
Description
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground, rated after the fact on the Fujita scale (through January 2007) or the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF0 to EF5, by the damage it leaves.
Location
Countywide; tornado reports name 12 communities, most often Stockton, Blanding and Menominee.
Extent
The strongest on record is the EF2 of July 15, 2024 near Apple Canyon Lake. Tornadoes rated F2/EF2 or stronger touched down on 1 separate day.
Previous occurrences
14 tornadoes on 10 days from 1993 to 2026. The busiest day was July 15, 2024, with 3. Weather Service survey, April 17, 2026: "EF1 tornado with max winds speed of 90-95 mph begun just east of the Galena Territories causing damage to the awning of house. The tornado then caused sporadic tree damage along it's 3.7 mile long path. Of interesting note, the tornado mainly caused damage in the valley areas …"
Probability
At least one tornado in 8 of 30 years (27%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $0 in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (0 of 14 reports carry a dollar figure).
Severe thunderstorm wind
Description
Straight-line winds from thunderstorms, including downbursts, measured or estimated at 58 mph (50 knots) or more.
Location
Countywide; reports name 20 communities, most often Stockton, Galena and Warren.
Extent
The highest gust on record is 78 knots (90 mph), estimated near Menominee on June 22, 2015. 25 reports reached 65 knots (75 mph) or more.
Previous occurrences
209 reports on 123 days since 1980. June 22, 2015: "Menominee fire house was blown over in damaging winds."
Probability
Reports in 29 of 30 years (97%) from 1996 to 2025; about 3.5 damaging-wind days a year.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 5 injuries, $1.6M in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (48 of 209 reports carry a dollar figure).
Hail
Description
Ice stones from thunderstorm updrafts; reported at 3/4 inch and larger in this record.
Location
Countywide; reports name 18 communities, most often Stockton, Galena and Hanover.
Extent
Largest: 2.5 inches near Stockton on July 24, 2009. 4 reports of 2 inches or more.
Previous occurrences
107 reports on 53 days since 1984.
Probability
Reports in 20 of 30 years (67%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $271K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (5 of 107 reports carry a dollar figure).
Flooding (river, flash and heavy rain)
Description
River flooding, and flash flooding when heavy rain overwhelms streets, ditches and small streams.
Location
Countywide; reports name 16 communities, most often Galena, East Dubuque and Stockton.
Extent
The deadliest flood on record was July 27, 2011 (3 deaths). The costliest entry is July 27, 2011, at $7.0M in property damage.
Previous occurrences
87 flood, flash-flood and heavy-rain reports since 1997. April 17, 2026: "Davis Creek on the southeast side of Galena is out of its banks near 4th and Blackjack Road. 6 feet higher than normal. water running across the road."
Probability
Reports in 25 of 30 years (83%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
3 deaths, 0 injuries, $16.6M in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (16 of 87 reports carry a dollar figure).
Winter storms and ice
Description
Heavy snow, blizzards, ice storms, sleet and lesser winter weather, recorded by forecast zone rather than by point.
Location
Countywide (forecast-zone records).
Extent
Ice storms on 7 occasions. Zone records rarely give snow or ice totals; the full plan adds station data.
Previous occurrences
163 zone events from 1996 to 2026: 66 winter weather, 64 winter storm, 21 heavy snow, 7 ice storm, 4 blizzard, 1 sleet.
Probability
Events in 29 of 30 years (97%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $18K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (4 of 163 reports carry a dollar figure).
Lightning
Description
Cloud-to-ground strikes that injure people, start fires or damage property. Only damaging strikes are recorded.
Location
Countywide; reports name 3 communities, most often East Dubuque, Stockton and Galena.
Extent
0 deaths and 0 injuries on record.
Previous occurrences
4 damaging strikes since 2003.
Probability
Damaging strikes in 3 of 30 years (10%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $34K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (4 of 4 reports carry a dollar figure).
High wind (not from thunderstorms)
Description
Strong winds from large storm systems rather than thunderstorms, recorded by forecast zone.
Location
Countywide (forecast-zone records).
Extent
Highest: 63 knots (72 mph).
Previous occurrences
17 zone events since 1996.
Probability
Events in 11 of 30 years (37%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $123K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (3 of 17 reports carry a dollar figure).
Not covered by this record
Extreme heat, extreme cold, drought, earthquake and dam failure are not in the storm archive this chapter draws on. The full chapter profiles them from NOAA climate records, the U.S. Drought Monitor, USGS shaking maps and the state dam inventory, and the planning team decides which belong in the plan.
Previous occurrences by community
FEMA asks for hazard history for each participating jurisdiction. These are the communities the Weather Service names most often as the nearest place to a report.
Nearest community named in the report
Thunderstorm wind
Hail
Flooding
Tornado
Lightning
All
Stockton
44
19
12
2
1
78
Galena
40
14
21
1
1
77
East Dubuque
8
7
17
2
34
Warren
17
9
2
1
29
Hanover
15
11
1
27
Elizabeth
13
6
2
21
Nora
12
8
20
Woodbine
7
2
2
1
12
Scales Mound
3
7
1
11
Guilford
2
3
5
1
11
Apple River
7
3
10
Menominee
4
2
2
1
9
Elmoville
4
3
7
Apple River Canyon Sp
5
2
7
Rodden
1
4
1
1
7
Apple Canyon Lake
2
3
1
6
Blanding
3
2
5
Derinda Center
3
1
4
What this draft covers, and what the full update adds
Covered here
Type, location and extent of each recorded hazard (FEMA review element B1).
Previous occurrences and probability of future events, countywide and by community (element B2).
Added in the full update
Vulnerability and impacts on people, buildings and critical facilities from county parcel and building data (element B3).
National Flood Insurance Program repetitive-loss properties from FEMA (element B4).
Planning-team meetings, public input, capability review, the mitigation strategy and adoption.
Data notes
Before 1996 the storm database records only tornado, thunderstorm wind and hail, so every rate on this page uses 1996–2025.
Recent reports rarely carry a damage estimate: 0 of 108 wind, hail, tornado and flood reports since 2019 do. A missing dollar figure means "not estimated," not "no damage."
Reports follow people. Towns with more spotters and roads show more reports.
Winter storm, high wind and some flood events are recorded by forecast zone, not by point.