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.
Tornado (F1)May 9, 2002
Marion · 2 killed ·
HeatJuly 17, 2001
Cook · 2 killed ·
HeatJuly 20, 1999
Logan · 2 killed ·
HeatJuly 18, 1999
Wayne · 2 killed ·
LightningJune 10, 1999
Rock Island · 2 killed ·
HeatJune 5, 1999
Winnebago · 2 killed ·
HeatJuly 1, 1998
Cook · 2 killed ·
Winter StormMarch 8, 1998
Peoria · 2 killed ·
Heavy SnowDecember 30, 1997
Christian · 2 killed ·
Flash FloodJuly 17, 1996
Will · 2 killed ·
HeatMay 18, 1996
Cook · 2 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillFebruary 2, 1996
Cook · 2 killed ·
Thunderstorm WindMay 8, 2009
Jackson · 1 killed · 6 injured · $100.0M damage
Flash FloodApril 18, 2013
La Salle · 1 killed · $75.0M damage
Flash FloodSeptember 13, 2008
Cook · 1 killed · $35.0M damage
FloodMay 1, 2013
Peoria · 1 killed · $28.0M damage
Tornado (F4)May 6, 2003
Massac · 1 killed · 20 injured · $10.0M damage
Tornado (F3)April 28, 2002
Union · 1 killed · 8 injured · $5.0M damage
Tornado (F3)April 21, 2002
Wayne · 1 killed · 42 injured · $4.0M damage
Tornado (F4)May 6, 2003
Pulaski · 1 killed · 13 injured · $3.5M damage
Tornado (EF2)June 5, 2010
Livingston · 1 killed · 13 injured · $3.0M damage
Tornado (EF3)February 28, 2017
White · 1 killed · 1 injured · $2.0M damage
Tornado (F1)April 8, 1999
Cass · 1 killed · 6 injured · $1.8M damage
Ice StormFebruary 24, 2007
Mercer · 1 killed · $965K damage
Thunderstorm WindAugust 23, 2007
Knox · 1 killed · 7 injured · $800K damage
FloodJune 4, 2008
Coles · 1 killed · $250K damage
BlizzardFebruary 1, 2011
Cook · 1 killed · $200K damage
Tornado (EF2)March 23, 2012
Jefferson · 1 killed · 2 injured · $150K damage
Tornado (F1)April 8, 1999
Piatt · 1 killed · 3 injured · $150K damage
Thunderstorm WindAugust 23, 2007
Cook · 1 killed · $100K damage
Winter StormDecember 22, 2004
Union · 1 killed · 1 injured · $100K damage
Thunderstorm WindMay 10, 2015
Jefferson · 1 killed · $45K damage
High WindApril 6, 2016
Hamilton · 1 killed · $40K damage
FloodJanuary 3, 2015
Pulaski · 1 killed · $40K damage
FloodJuly 16, 2021
Jefferson · 1 killed · $30K damage
Flash FloodJune 16, 2019
Union · 1 killed · $30K damage
FloodMay 1, 2017
Saline · 1 killed · $30K damage
HeatJuly 16, 2013
Cook · 1 killed · $25K damage
Thunderstorm WindJune 21, 2019
Pulaski · 1 killed · 1 injured · $20K damage
FloodDecember 24, 2013
Wayne · 1 killed · $20K 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.