Lake County weather alerts
There are no active weather alerts for Lake County, IL right now.
Since 2016 the National Weather Service has issued about 923 alerts that included Lake County, roughly 92 a year. The most common is the flood warning (134 from 2016 to 2025). The last tornado warning was issued on June 18, 2026. 21 tornadoes have touched down in the county since 1950.
Updated from the National Weather Service · lists refresh hourly; the live map loads current alerts directly from the NWS
No warnings, watches or advisories include Lake County at the moment. This page updates automatically when the National Weather Service issues one. Check neighboring Kenosha County, McHenry County, Cook County.
Lake County alert history
Alert events that included Lake County or its forecast zones, from the NWS warning archive.
| Alert type | 2016–2025 | 2026 | Last issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flood Warning | 134 | 15 | October 2, 2026 |
| Flood Advisory | 123 | 7 | September 19, 2026 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 103 | 13 | August 11, 2026 |
| Winter Weather Advisory | 90 | 4 | March 16, 2026 |
| Dense Fog Advisory | 81 | 8 | October 23, 2026 |
| Wind Advisory | 65 | 8 | June 28, 2026 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | 64 | 12 | August 21, 2026 |
| Flood Watch | 43 | 9 | October 1, 2026 |
| Cold Weather Advisory | 26 | 3 | January 26, 2026 |
| Frost Advisory | 24 | 4 | October 17, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Warning | 21 | 0 | November 29, 2025 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 20 | 2 | June 11, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Watch | 18 | 0 | November 29, 2025 |
| Freeze Warning | 18 | 1 | April 20, 2026 |
| Tornado Watch | 17 | 4 | June 11, 2026 |
| Heat Advisory | 13 | 5 | September 4, 2026 |
| High Wind Warning | 11 | 2 | April 27, 2026 |
| Tornado Warning | 8 | 4 | June 18, 2026 |
| Freeze Watch | 8 | 1 | April 20, 2026 |
| High Wind Watch | 6 | 1 | March 13, 2026 |
| Extreme Heat Watch | 5 | 0 | July 23, 2025 |
| Extreme Heat Warning | 5 | 1 | June 29, 2026 |
| Red Flag Warning | 5 | 1 | February 18, 2026 |
| Fire Weather Watch | 4 | 1 | February 18, 2026 |
| Extreme Cold Warning | 3 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
| Ice Storm Warning | 2 | 0 | February 22, 2023 |
| Extreme Cold Watch | 2 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
| Snow Squall Warning | 2 | 0 | February 19, 2022 |
| Lake Effect Snow Warning | 1 | 0 | March 14, 2017 |
| Blizzard Warning | 1 | 0 | November 26, 2018 |
Tornado history in Lake County
21 tornadoes have been recorded in Lake County since 1950, killing 7 people and injuring 215. That ranks 68 of 102 counties in Illinois. The most recent was on February 27, 2024 (rated EF1).
Strongest tornadoes in Lake County
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 11, 1965 | F4 | McHenry County | 9.1 mi | 400 yd | 6 | 75 |
| April 21, 1967 | F4 | McHenry County | 8.8 mi | 150 yd | 1 | 100 |
| September 28, 1972 | F4 | Lake County | 5.2 mi | 220 yd | 0 | 20 |
| May 18, 1997 | F2 | Lake County | 6 mi | 73 yd | 0 | 0 |
| April 11, 1965 | F2 | Lake County | 4.5 mi | 200 yd | 0 | 0 |
Most recent tornadoes
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 27, 2024 | EF1 | Lake County | 0.1 mi | 40 yd | 0 | 1 |
| July 12, 2023 | EF0 | Lake County | 2.1 mi | 125 yd | 0 | 0 |
| July 12, 2023 | EF0 | McHenry County | 3.4 mi | 125 yd | 0 | 0 |
| September 3, 2019 | EF1 | Lake County | 3.1 mi | 200 yd | 0 | 1 |
| August 2, 2015 | EF1 | Lake County | 7.5 mi | 300 yd | 0 | 0 |
About Lake County
- Population: 718,604 (2024 estimate)
- State: Illinois
- NOAA Weather Radio SAME code: 017097 (how to use it)