Lakeshore Flood in Illinois
Every lakeshore flood event the National Weather Service has filed in Illinois, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Flooding along the shore of one of the Great Lakes or another large lake.
The most significant on the map
The most significant lakeshore flood episodes in Illinois.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 15
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- $25 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Lakeshore Flood in Illinois, January 11 to 12, 2020Strong northeast winds gusting as high as 50 mph produced waves as high as 18 feet along the Lake Michigan shore of northeast Illinois. These high waves combined with high lake levels produced flooding, erosion and damage.
- Lakeshore Flood and High Wind in Illinois, October 31, 2014A strong cold front ushered unseasonably cold air into the region along with very gusty winds. Several locations near Lake Michigan reported winds in excess of 60 mph. The strong winds resulted in battering waves along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
- Flash Flood and Flooding in Illinois, October 24 to 25, 2021High winds produced isolated wind damage and heavy rains produced localized flooding on October 24th and 25th. A large healthy tree limb was blown down in Clarendon Hills in DuPage County.
- Lakeshore Flood in Illinois, November 30, 2019Strong easterly winds produced high waves which combined with high lake levels produced lake shore flooding. In Highland Park, further beach erosion caused additional damage to a parking lot at Park Avenue Beach.
- Lakeshore Flood in Illinois, October 31, 2019Strong northerly winds as high as 45 mph produced waves as high as 11 feet along the Lake Michigan shore of northeast Illinois. These high waves combined with high lake levels produced flooding, erosion and damage.
- Lakeshore Flood in Illinois, April 29 to 30, 2020Strong north winds gusting as high as 45 mph produced waves as high as 12 feet along the Lake Michigan shore of northeast Illinois. These high waves combined with high lake levels produced flooding, erosion and damage.
- Lakeshore Flood in Illinois, December 1 to 2, 2019Strong onshore winds produced high waves which combined with high lake levels produced lake shore flooding. Portions of the Chicago Park District Lakefront Trail in Chicago were closed due to flooding.
- Lakeshore Flood in Illinois, November 11, 2019Strong northerly winds produced high waves which combined with high lake levels produced lake shore flooding. In Chicago, South Shore Drive near East 67th Street was flooded.
- Lakeshore Flood in Illinois, March 6, 2020Strong north winds gusting as high as 45 mph produced waves as high as 11 feet along the Lake Michigan shore of Cook County. These high waves combined with high lake levels produced flooding, erosion and damage.
- Lakeshore Flood in Illinois, February 25 to 26, 2020Strong northeast winds gusting as high as 40 mph produced waves as high as 14 feet along the Lake Michigan shore of northeast Illinois. These high waves combined with high lake levels produced flooding, erosion and damage.
- Lakeshore Flood in Illinois, October 29, 2020Strong northerly winds gusting as high as 40 mph produced waves as high as 10 feet along the Lake Michigan shore of northeast Illinois. These high waves combined with high lake levels to produce shoreline flooding.
More
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.