Hurricane History Map

Hurricanes that hit Illinois: hurricane history

26 storms have passed within 50 km of Illinois from 1863 to 2020, drawn on the map and coloured by intensity.

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Years1842 to 2026
Ocean basin

Choosing a minimum category hides storms with no wind speed in the record. To see which storms have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • Tropical depression Winds below 34 knots (39 mph)
  • Tropical storm 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph)
  • Category 1 64 to 82 knots (74 to 95 mph)
  • Category 2 83 to 95 knots (96 to 110 mph)
  • Category 3 96 to 112 knots (111 to 129 mph), major
  • Category 4 113 to 136 knots (130 to 156 mph), major
  • Category 5 137 knots (157 mph) or more, major
  • Unknown intensity No wind speed in the record
  • Post-tropical Storm has become post-tropical (dashed line)

How to read the lines. Each line is the track of one storm, drawn through its six-hourly positions and coloured by its intensity at each point (the Saffir-Simpson scale), so a line changes colour as the storm strengthens or weakens. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see which storms have passed nearby. Weaker storms appear as you zoom in. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same kind of storm with different names in different oceans.

Storms near Illinois

The record holds 26 tropical cyclones whose tracks passed within 50 km of Illinois between 1863 and 2020. The busiest month is September, with 8 of them. The strongest, measured where each came closest to the place, reached tropical storm strength. 2 of the storms have no wind speed in the record.

  • 26storms within 50 km
  • 0major (category 3 to 5) near here
  • 0at category 1 strength or more

A storm counts once, however many times it came close. The category is the storm's strongest point within 50 km, which can be weaker than its peak elsewhere.

How strong were the storms near Illinois?

Category near hereStormsShare
Tropical depression2388%
Tropical storm14%
Category 100%
Category 200%
Category 300%
Category 400%
Category 500%
Unknown intensity28%

The agency behind most of the intensity figures here is the NOAA National Hurricane Center (HURDAT2, Atlantic).

Illinois storms over time

Storms by decade
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 3 in 1960s.1860s1890s1910s1930s1950s1970s1990s2010s

The 2020s only run to 2020, so that bar is for a shorter period. This place's record starts in 1863, and records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are far less complete.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1860s1
1880s1
1890s2
1900s2
1910s1
1920s1
1930s1
1940s2
1950s1
1960s3
1970s2
1980s2
1990s1
2000s3
2010s1
2020s2

Earlier decades hold fewer storms partly because they were harder to see. Before weather satellites (about the 1960s) many storms that stayed at sea went unrecorded, so compare decades with care.

Storms by month
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 8 in Sep.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr0May2Jun7Jul4Aug3Sep8Oct2Nov0Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May2
Jun7
Jul4
Aug3
Sep8
Oct2
Nov0
Dec0

Strongest storms near Illinois

  • Unnamed storm of September 1941 (North Atlantic)17 September 1941 to 27 September 1941, Tropical storm (35 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (110 kt), 989 hPa

Most recent storms near Illinois

  • Laura (2020)20 August 2020 to 29 August 2020, Tropical depression (25 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (130 kt), 937 hPa
  • Cristobal (2020)1 June 2020 to 12 June 2020, Tropical depression (30 kt) near here, peak Tropical storm (50 kt), 988 hPa
  • Alberto (2018)25 May 2018 to 31 May 2018, Tropical depression (30 kt) near here, peak Tropical storm (55 kt), 990 hPa
  • Rita (2005)18 September 2005 to 26 September 2005, Tropical depression (20 kt) near here, peak Category 5 (155 kt), 897 hPa
  • Dennis (2005)4 July 2005 to 18 July 2005, Tropical depression (20 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (130 kt), 930 hPa

Many of these storms killed people and destroyed homes. The figures are the official record's, and this page says nothing about their human cost.

Notable storms near Illinois with their own pages

  • Camille (1969)14 August 1969 to 22 August 1969, peak Category 5 (150 kt), 905 hPa
  • Gilbert (1988)8 September 1988 to 20 September 1988, peak Category 5 (160 kt), 888 hPa
  • Laura (2020)20 August 2020 to 29 August 2020, peak Category 4 (130 kt), 937 hPa
  • Dennis (2005)4 July 2005 to 18 July 2005, peak Category 4 (130 kt), 930 hPa
  • Rita (2005)18 September 2005 to 26 September 2005, peak Category 5 (155 kt), 897 hPa

Illinois counties

Every county that a storm has come near is listed, most storms first. 51 of them have at least 3 storms and their own page.

CountyStormsStrongest near the county
Gallatin County12Tropical depression
Massac County12Tropical depression
Pope County12Tropical depression
White County12Tropical depression
Hardin County11Tropical depression
Union County11Tropical storm
Wayne County10Tropical storm
Alexander County9Tropical storm
Franklin County9Tropical storm
Hamilton County9Tropical storm
Jackson County9Tropical storm
Johnson County9Tropical depression
Pulaski County9Tropical depression
Saline County9Tropical depression
Williamson County9Tropical storm
Edwards County8Tropical depression
Jefferson County8Tropical storm
Clay County7Tropical storm
Clinton County7Tropical storm
Crawford County7Tropical depression
Fayette County7Tropical storm
Lawrence County7Tropical depression
Marion County7Tropical storm
Richland County7Tropical storm
Wabash County7Tropical depression
Washington County7Tropical storm
Bond County6Tropical storm
Clark County6Tropical depression
Effingham County6Tropical storm
Jasper County6Tropical storm
Perry County6Tropical storm
Randolph County6Tropical storm
St. Clair County6Tropical storm
Shelby County5Tropical storm
Adams County4Tropical depression
Calhoun County4Tropical depression
Cumberland County4Tropical storm
Monroe County4Tropical depression
Pike County4Tropical depression
Vermilion County4Tropical depression
Brown County3Tropical depression
Cass County3Tropical depression
Champaign County3Tropical depression
Douglas County3Tropical depression
Edgar County3Tropical depression
Jersey County3Tropical depression
Macoupin County3Tropical depression
Madison County3Tropical depression
Mason County3Tropical depression
Moultrie County3Tropical depression
Tazewell County3Tropical depression
Coles County2Tropical depression
Fulton County2Tropical depression
Greene County2Tropical depression
Hancock County2Tropical depression
Henderson County2Tropical depression
Logan County2Tropical depression
McDonough County2Tropical depression
Menard County2Tropical depression
Mercer County2Tropical depression
Montgomery County2Tropical depression
Morgan County2Tropical depression
Peoria County2Tropical depression
Piatt County2Tropical depression
Sangamon County2Tropical depression
Schuyler County2Tropical depression
Scott County2Tropical depression
Warren County2Tropical depression
Bureau County1Tropical depression
Christian County1Tropical depression
De Witt County1Tropical depression
Ford County1Tropical depression
Henry County1Tropical depression
Iroquois County1Tropical depression
Jo Daviess County1Tropical depression
Kankakee County1Tropical depression
Knox County1Tropical depression
Livingston County1Tropical depression
Macon County1Tropical depression
Marshall County1Tropical depression
McLean County1Tropical depression
Putnam County1Tropical depression
Rock Island County1Tropical depression
Stark County1Tropical depression
Woodford County1Tropical depression

Other states

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