Henderson County, Illinois

What hazards hit Henderson County most?

The most frequent records are winter storm records: 120 since 1996. 63% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. The rank column places the county among Illinois's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.

How many tornadoes has Henderson County had?

NOAA records 13 tornadoes in Henderson County from 1967 to 2015, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.

Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 15 tornadoes whose track touched Henderson County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 13: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Illinois.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.

When was the last damaging storm in Henderson County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the July 16, 2015 tornado ($31,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

An EF1 tornado with maximum winds estimated at 95 mph touched down 1.1 miles east of Lone Tree, IL. The tornado traveled 0.84 miles and lifted 1.8 miles east northeast of Lone Tree. The maximum path width was about 100 yards. Along the path, trees and outbuildings were destroyed.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 597117)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.

The deadliest and costliest records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.

Is it getting more frequent?

Records per decade for Henderson County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

63% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. The two busiest months are in violet.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Henderson County

FEMA's register lists 16 declarations that include Henderson County: 12 major disasters, 4 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (8) and snowstorm (3).

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.

How many floods has Henderson County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 60 flood or flash flood records for Henderson County from 1997 to 2024, on 54 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Henderson County ranks 588th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $11.5 million on 412 claims filed in Henderson County; the most in one year was 136 in 2008. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.

FEMA's modeled risk for Henderson County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Henderson County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $4.9 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Henderson County

1. McDonough County 786
2. Lee County, IA 722
3. Hancock County 710
4. Des Moines County, IA 709
5. Mercer County 538
6. Warren County 487
7. Henderson County 410

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

Next

• Tornadoes in IllinoisEvery Illinois tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
• Winter storms in IllinoisThe state's winter storm records, by county, year and month
• The Illinois recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
• FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Henderson CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Henderson County's FEMA declarations (CSV)16 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis