Macoupin County, Illinois
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 17117 · population 44,940 · 863 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 649 records for Macoupin County, Illinois from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 382 days; the most frequent are hail reports (234 records). The deadliest single record is the December 2, 1950 tornado: 1 death and 3 injuries. FEMA has issued 9 declarations naming the county since 1982, 7 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes” on December 13, 2021.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 649on 382 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 419 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $18Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 48strongest EF3
- FEMA declarations
- 9latest 2021
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Macoupin County most?
The most frequent records are hail reports: 234 since 1955. 65% of its hail reports since 1955 fell in April and May. 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.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 234 | 126 | 1955-2026 | 0 | 6 | $9.6M | 37 of 102 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 211 | 137 | 1958-2026 | 0 | 1 | $437K | 90 of 102 |
| Winter storms | 52 | 52 | 1997-2025 | 0 | 0 | $2.9M | 96 of 102 |
| Tornadoes | 48 | 37 | 1950-2026 | 1 | 9 | $5.2M | 59 of 102 |
| Heat | 46 | 46 | 1999-2023 | 0 | 0 | – | 37 of 102 |
| Floods | 28 | 27 | 1998-2022 | 0 | 0 | $29K | 100 of 102 |
| High wind and dust storms | 9 | 9 | 1997-2019 | 0 | 0 | $11K | 97 of 102 |
| Drought | 6 | 6 | 2005-2012 | 0 | 0 | – | 96 of 102 |
| Lightning | 6 | 5 | 2001-2005 | 2 | 0 | $167K | 37 of 102 |
| Extreme cold | 5 | 5 | 2000-2024 | 1 | 0 | – | 102 of 102 |
| Heavy rain | 2 | 2 | 2003-2005 | 0 | 0 | – | 62 of 102 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 2 | 2 | 2003-2008 | 0 | 3 | – | 70 of 102 |
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 Macoupin County had?
NOAA records 48 tornadoes in Macoupin County from 1950 to 2026, the strongest rated EF3, with 1 death and 9 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 49 tornadoes whose track touched Macoupin County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 48: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 1 person.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950-12-02 15:00, as SPC files it | White | F2 | 18.8 mi | 1 |
| 2011-04-19 16:58, as SPC files it | Girard | EF3 | 4.32 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Illinois.
Every tornado record filed for Macoupin County (48)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-15 | White City, Macoupin County | EF1 5.45 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-11 | Staunton, Macoupin County | EF1 0.39 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024-04-18 | Barr, Macoupin County | EFU 0.63 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024-04-18 | Standard City, Macoupin County | EF1 0.23 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $47K |
| 2024-03-14 | Macoupin Station, Macoupin County | EF0 2.13 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024-03-14 | Brighton, Macoupin County | EF0 2.36 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024-03-14 | Medora, Macoupin County | EF0 1.62 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-03-31 | Mc Vey, Macoupin County | EF0 0.85 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2021-06-24 | Modesto Weber Airport, Macoupin County | EFU 0.23 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020-07-15 | Palmyra Zelmer Airport, Macoupin County | EFU 0.15 mi x 15 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2019-06-15 | Mt Clare, Macoupin County | EF0 1.82 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018-12-01 | Staunton, Macoupin County | EF1 1.39 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-04-29 | Piasa, Macoupin County | EF0 0.68 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-03-07 | Sawyerville, Macoupin County | EF1 6.71 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2013-11-17 | Womac, Macoupin County | EF0 2.11 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2013-05-31 | Gillespie, Macoupin County | EF2 1.47 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2013-05-20 | Mt Olive, Macoupin County | EF2 0.2 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 3 | – |
| 2011-04-19 | Girard, Macoupin County | EF3 4.32 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 2 | – |
| 2009-05-13 | Gillespie, Macoupin County | EF0 1.65 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2009-03-08 | Enos, Macoupin County | EF1 4.21 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2007-05-04 | Shipman, Macoupin County | EF0 0.01 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2007-05-04 | Gillespie, Macoupin County | EF0 0.01 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2006-07-19 | Bunker Hill, Macoupin County | F0 0.2 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2006-04-02 | Staunton, Macoupin County | F0 11 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2006-04-02 | Gillespie, Macoupin County | F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2006-04-02 | Piasa, Macoupin County | F0 0.5 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2006-04-02 | Piasa, Macoupin County | F0 2 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2005-06-13 | Wilsonville, Macoupin County | F1 2.5 mi x 60 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2005-06-13 | Bunker Hill, Macoupin County | F1 3 mi x 70 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2005-06-13 | Bunker Hill, Macoupin County | F0 1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2005-06-13 | Bunker Hill, Macoupin County | F0 1.5 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2003-05-08 | Staunton, Macoupin County | F0 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2002-05-01 | Palmyra, Macoupin County | F0 0.5 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2000-07-18 | Medora, Macoupin County | F0 0.1 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2000-07-18 | Piasa, Macoupin County | F0 0.1 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2000-04-20 | Shipman, Macoupin County | F1 1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $43K |
| 1999-06-01 | Carlinville, Macoupin County | F1 0.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1998-05-12 | Palmyra, Macoupin County | F1 1 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $91K |
| 1996-05-25 | Carlinville, Macoupin County | F1 8 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $470K |
| 1993-08-19 | Atwater, Macoupin County | F0 0.1 mi x 35 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1990-05-16 | Macoupin County | F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1990-05-09 | Macoupin County | F2 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1978-05-12 | Macoupin County | F2 27.9 mi x 700 yd | 0 | 1 | $250K step |
| 1967-01-24 | Macoupin County | F2 2.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1966-08-09 | Macoupin County | F0 0.3 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1960-03-29 | Macoupin County | F2 | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1959-08-04 | Macoupin County | F2 26.7 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1950-12-02 | Macoupin County | F2 11.5 mi x 50 yd | 1 | 3 | $25K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
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 Macoupin County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the May 21, 2024 thunderstorm wind ($47,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
A downburst hit a small stretch of Womac Road south of Route 108 knocking down 9 power poles, downing several trees, and causing roof damage to an outbuilding.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1173234)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-11 | Thunderstorm WindMt Olive, Macoupin County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-03 | HailMacoupin Station, Macoupin County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-27 | HailStaunton, Macoupin County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-27 | HailStaunton, Macoupin County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-27 | HailSawyerville, Macoupin County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-27 | HailBunker Hill, Macoupin County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-27 | HailBunker Hill, Macoupin County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-15 | Thunderstorm WindStaunton, Macoupin County | 87 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-15 | Thunderstorm WindBunker Hill, Macoupin County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-15 | Thunderstorm WindBrighton, Macoupin County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-15 | TornadoWhite City, Macoupin County | EF1 5.45 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-11 | TornadoStaunton, Macoupin County | EF1 0.39 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
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
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950-12-02 | TornadoMacoupin County | F2 11.5 mi x 50 yd | 1 | 3 | $25K step |
| 2001-09-06 | LightningSawyerville, Macoupin County A man was killed by a lighting strike while working on a roof in the Sawyerville area. The group of workers saw the storm approaching and climbed off the roof. The man killed was the last man and unfortunately did not make in off in time. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2001-04-10 | LightningGirard, Macoupin County A 49 year old woman was struck and killed by lightning while working outside at her home at Sunset Lake west of Girard. Witnesses reported that the woman was planting and watering flowers and had knelt down at the edge of the lake to dip out some more water when the lightning struck. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2000-12-16 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillMacoupin County · forecast zone Macoupin A strong cold front moved across the area the afternoon of December 16 bringing in a blast of Arctic air. Temperatures by 900 pm on the 16th had dropped into the single digits with wind chill values down to 30 below zero. The wind chill remained from 20 below to 40 below zero through Noon on the 17th. An elderly man, ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1989-05-25 | HailMacoupin County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 6 | – |
| 2013-05-20 | TornadoMt Olive, Macoupin County A tornado touched down in the downtown portion of Mt. Olive and traveled to the east. The damage path was 4 blocks long and ranged from 50 to 75 yards wide. The second story of a brick building was blown off. Large sections of several roofs were blown 2 blocks to the north. A historic 2 story home had the roof blown ... | EF2 0.2 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 3 | – |
| 2008-02-04 | Dense FogMacoupin County · forecast zone Macoupin Several accidents occurred over Macoupin county due to the dense fog. Around 815 am, a semi hauling steel pipe crashed into a train at the crossing on Illinois Route 4 near Lamb Road. The truck burst into flames, but the driver was able to escape from the truck. He sustained moderate burns and was transported to a ... | 0 | 3 | – | |
| 2011-04-19 | TornadoGirard, Macoupin County The path of this tornado was a very curved one as it initially tornado touched down about 2.5 miles west of Girard, Illinois, on Emerson Airline Road. It caused extensive damage to a couple of houses in this location. It then travelled to the northeast crossing Henry Road, north of the intersection with Emerson ... | EF3 4.32 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 2 | – |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-04-24 | HailGillespie, Macoupin County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $3.3M |
| 2002-05-01 | HailMt Olive, Macoupin County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $3.3M |
| 2006-12-01 | Winter StormMacoupin County · forecast zone Macoupin | 0 | 0 | $2.9M | |
| 2002-04-24 | HailCarlinville, Macoupin County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $1.6M |
| 1996-05-25 | TornadoCarlinville, Macoupin County | F1 8 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $470K |
| 2000-05-12 | HailMedora, Macoupin County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $274K |
| 1998-05-12 | TornadoPalmyra, Macoupin County | F1 1 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $91K |
| 2022-06-12 | Thunderstorm WindWomac, Macoupin County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $50K |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: May 12, 1978 (tornado, Macoupin County); January 24, 1967 (tornado, Macoupin County); May 9, 1990 (tornado, Macoupin County).
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 Macoupin 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).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 1 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 40 | 104 | 54 | 21 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 2 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 38 | 75 | 50 | 25 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 8 | 24 | 15 | 5 |
| Tornadoes | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 18 | 8 | 10 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 1 | 19 | 24 | 2 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 2 | 16 | 9 | 1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
65% of its hail reports since 1955 fell in April and May. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 27 · Feb 20 · Mar 39 · Apr 112 · May 149 · Jun 98 · Jul 89 · Aug 45 · Sep 21 · Oct 12 · Nov 14 · Dec 23 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Macoupin County
FEMA's register lists 9 declarations that include Macoupin County: 6 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (3) and tornado (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-12-13 | EM-3577 | Tornado | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes |
| 2020-03-26 | DR-4489 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3435 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2008-10-03 | DR-1800 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2007-02-09 | DR-1681 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2005-09-07 | EM-3230 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2002-05-21 | DR-1416 | Tornado | Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding |
| 1983-06-06 | DR-684 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding |
| 1982-12-13 | DR-674 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding |
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 Macoupin County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 28 flood or flash flood records for Macoupin County from 1998 to 2022, on 27 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Macoupin County ranks 1689th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $272,000 on 47 claims filed in Macoupin County; the most in one year was 14 in 1979. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 1 · 1979: 14 · 1982: 7 · 1983: 3 · 1984: 1 · 1985: 2 · 1986: 4 · 1990: 2 · 1993: 7 · 2000: 3 · 2008: 2 · 2016: 1; the other years: 0.
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 Macoupin County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Macoupin County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $38.7 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.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | $2.0M | 6.1 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively High | $1.0M | 49 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | $11M | once in about 227 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | $3.2M | 9.4 modeled event-days a year |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | $1.4M | 4.6 a year (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $5.1M | 2.4 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $3.3M | about once a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $408K | 1.8 modeled event-days a year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Macoupin County
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
- Hail in IllinoisThe state's hail reports, 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 Macoupin CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Macoupin County's FEMA declarations (CSV)9 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis