Illinois Storm & Severe Weather History
Since 1996, Illinois has logged 58,918 severe-weather events — about 1,901 a year — with 855 direct deaths, 2,102 injuries and $5.5B in reported property damage.
By event type
Thunderstorm Wind17,54619 d$599.5M
Hail10,498—$216.5M
Flash Flood3,23925 d$2.5B
Flood3,17630 d$274.9M
Winter Storm2,92711 d$81.8M
Winter Weather2,9172 d$1.9M
Tornado2,27754 d$1.7B
Dense Fog2,188—$219K
Heat2,030363 d$25K
Drought1,586——
Heavy Snow1,5128 d$460K
Strong Wind1,5036 d$2.8M
High Wind1,3009 d$37.3M
Excessive Heat1,22460 d$750K
Frost/Freeze1,143——
Cold/Wind Chill903159 d$8K
Events by year
19962026
Notable events (532)
Events with deaths, major damage, or a strong tornado — deadliest first.
HeatJuly 28, 1999
Cook · 93 killed ·
HeatAugust 1, 2006
Cook · 24 killed ·
Excessive HeatJuly 4, 2012
Cook · 23 killed · $750K damage
HeatJuly 17, 2011
Cook · 16 killed ·
HeatJune 21, 1997
Cook · 16 killed ·
HeatAugust 6, 2001
Cook · 14 killed ·
HeatJuly 1, 2002
Cook · 12 killed ·
HeatJuly 21, 1999
Cook · 12 killed ·
HeatJuly 15, 2002
Cook · 11 killed ·
Extreme Cold/Wind ChillFebruary 1, 2007
Cook · 10 killed ·
HeatJuly 21, 2001
Cook · 10 killed ·
HeatJune 24, 1998
Cook · 10 killed ·
HeatJuly 15, 2006
Cook · 9 killed ·
Tornado (EF4)February 29, 2012
Saline · 8 killed · 95 injured · $2.0M damage
Dust StormMay 1, 2023
Montgomery · 8 killed · 37 injured ·
Tornado (F3)April 20, 2004
La Salle · 8 killed · 7 injured ·
Extreme Cold/Wind ChillDecember 2, 2006
Cook · 7 killed · 5 injured ·
HeatJune 21, 2002
Cook · 7 killed ·
HeatJuly 18, 1999
St. Clair · 7 killed · 100 injured ·
Tornado (EF3)December 10, 2021
Madison · 6 killed · 1 injured · $5.0M damage
HeatJuly 29, 2001
Cook · 6 killed ·
Flash FloodDecember 26, 2015
Marion · 5 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillDecember 21, 2008
Cook · 5 killed ·
Extreme Cold/Wind ChillJanuary 22, 2008
Cook · 5 killed ·
HeatJuly 14, 1997
Cook · 5 killed ·
Winter StormJanuary 15, 1997
Cook · 5 killed ·
HeatAugust 5, 1996
Cook · 5 killed ·
FloodDecember 27, 2015
Christian · 4 killed · $2.8M damage
High WindMarch 9, 2002
Cook · 4 killed · 4 injured · $200K damage
Extreme Cold/Wind ChillJanuary 6, 2014
Cook · 4 killed ·
HeatAugust 1, 2011
Cook · 4 killed ·
Excessive HeatJune 14, 2007
Cook · 4 killed ·
HeatJuly 28, 2006
Cook · 4 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillDecember 18, 2005
Cook · 4 killed ·
HeatJuly 7, 2002
Cook · 4 killed ·
HeatJune 3, 1999
Cook · 4 killed ·
Tornado (EF4)November 17, 2013
Tazewell · 3 killed · 121 injured · $910.0M damage
Flash FloodJuly 27, 2011
Jo Daviess · 3 killed · $7.0M damage
Tornado (EF3)November 17, 2013
Massac · 3 killed · 33 injured · $5.5M damage
Flash FloodAugust 7, 2000
Crawford · 3 killed · $1.0M damage
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Counts are every logged event since 1996; the "notable" list is filtered to events with fatalities, major damage or a strong tornado. Damage is the reporting office's estimate. A record of past weather is not a forecast. See About the Data.