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.
Cold/Wind ChillFebruary 3, 2021
Du Page · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillJanuary 20, 2021
Peoria · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillJanuary 18, 2021
Rock Island · 1 killed ·
Rip CurrentSeptember 11, 2020
Cenrtral Cook County · 1 killed ·
Rip CurrentSeptember 10, 2020
Cenrtral Cook County · 1 killed ·
Rip CurrentAugust 3, 2020
Cook · 1 killed ·
Rip CurrentJuly 16, 2020
Cook · 1 killed ·
Flash FloodMay 24, 2020
Pike · 1 killed ·
FloodMay 15, 2020
Du Page · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillFebruary 13, 2020
Peoria · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillJanuary 20, 2020
Peoria · 1 killed ·
Rip CurrentAugust 22, 2019
Cook · 1 killed ·
Excessive HeatJuly 18, 2019
Clay · 1 killed ·
Excessive HeatJuly 17, 2019
Peoria · 1 killed ·
HeatJuly 3, 2019
Edgar · 1 killed ·
Thunderstorm WindJune 30, 2019
Peoria · 1 killed ·
Strong WindApril 19, 2019
Lake · 1 killed ·
FloodApril 1, 2019
Rock Island · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillFebruary 1, 2019
Cass · 1 killed ·
Extreme Cold/Wind ChillJanuary 29, 2019
Tazewell · 1 killed ·
Rip CurrentDecember 21, 2018
Cook · 1 killed · 1 injured ·
LightningSeptember 3, 2018
Will · 1 killed ·
Extreme Cold/Wind ChillDecember 30, 2017
Champaign · 1 killed ·
Extreme Cold/Wind ChillDecember 30, 2017
Peoria · 1 killed ·
Strong WindMay 17, 2017
Douglas · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillDecember 18, 2016
Peoria · 1 killed ·
HeatAugust 5, 2016
Franklin · 1 killed ·
LightningJuly 28, 2016
Will · 1 killed · 1 injured ·
Cold/Wind ChillJanuary 11, 2016
Mchenry · 1 killed ·
FloodDecember 29, 2015
Livingston · 1 killed ·
Flash FloodDecember 26, 2015
Jersey · 1 killed ·
Flash FloodJuly 19, 2015
Pike · 1 killed ·
HeatJuly 13, 2015
Effingham · 1 killed ·
FloodMay 11, 2015
Clinton · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillFebruary 3, 2015
Cook · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillJanuary 7, 2015
Cook · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillJanuary 5, 2015
Cook · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillJanuary 5, 2015
Will · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillJanuary 3, 2015
Cook · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillDecember 3, 2014
Cook · 1 killed ·
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.