Pulaski County, Illinois
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 17153 · population 5,180 · 199 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 768 records for Pulaski County, Illinois from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 710 days; the most frequent are floods and flash floods (137 records). 522 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the May 6, 2003 tornado: 1 death, 13 injuries and $5.6 million in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 14 declarations naming the county since 1969, 12 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms and Flooding” on June 7, 2011.
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
- 768on 710 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 416 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $49Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 12strongest F4
- FEMA declarations
- 14latest 2020
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 Pulaski County most?
The most frequent records are floods and flash floods: 137 since 1996. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | 137 | 134 | 1996-2025 | 1 | 0 | $10.0M | 2 of 102 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 127 | 125 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 of 102 |
| Winter storms | 100 | 100 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $15M | 5 of 102 |
| Heat | 90 | 90 | 1997-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 of 102 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 78 | 70 | 1958-2025 | 1 | 1 | $1.2M | 10 of 102 |
| High wind and dust storms | 66 | 66 | 1997-2025 | 0 | 0 | $8.3M | 5 of 102 |
| Extreme cold | 65 | 65 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 0 | $40K | 4 of 102 |
| Hail | 55 | 46 | 1980-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 5 of 102 |
| Drought | 36 | 36 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $4.9M | 1 of 102 |
| Tornadoes | 12 | 10 | 1957-2025 | 1 | 15 | $9.0M | 39 of 102 |
| Heavy rain | 2 | 2 | 2007-2015 | 0 | 0 | – | 34 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 Pulaski County had?
NOAA records 12 tornadoes in Pulaski County from 1957 to 2025, the strongest rated F4, with 1 death and 15 injuries recorded in the county. That is 39th of 102 Illinois counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. 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 12 tornadoes whose track touched Pulaski County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 12, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 2 people, 1 of them in Pulaski County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-05-06 20:32, as SPC files it | Karnak | F4 | 33 mi | 2 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Illinois.
Every tornado record filed for Pulaski County (12)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-30 | Pulaski County | EF1 6.06 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $50K |
| 2019-04-24 | Pulaski County | EF0 0.23 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2013-10-31 | Wetaug, Pulaski County | EF1 3.84 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $13K |
| 2012-02-29 | Mounds, Pulaski County | EF2 6.03 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2011-05-25 | New Grand Chain, Pulaski County | EF0 3.82 mi x 80 yd | 0 | 0 | $39K |
| 2011-05-25 | Pulaski County | EF1 10.04 mi x 120 yd | 0 | 0 | $52K |
| 2011-05-25 | Mound City, Pulaski County | EF1 5.5 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | $66K |
| 2005-01-13 | Pulaski County | F1 11 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $106K |
| 2003-05-06 | Grand Chain, Pulaski County | F4 6 mi x 1,000 yd | 1 | 13 | $5.6M |
| 1972-04-21 | Pulaski County | F2 5.6 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 2 | $25K step |
| 1967-06-21 | Pulaski County | F2 | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1957-04-03 | Pulaski County | F2 2.3 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K 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 Pulaski County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the May 16, 2025 thunderstorm wind ($1,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-28 | DroughtPulaski County · forecast zone Pulaski | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-16 | HailMounds, Pulaski County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-02-27 | Dense FogPulaski County · forecast zone Pulaski | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-15 | Dense FogPulaski County · forecast zone Pulaski | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-10 | Dense FogPulaski County · forecast zone Pulaski | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-26 | Cold/Wind ChillPulaski County · forecast zone Pulaski | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Winter StormPulaski County · forecast zone Pulaski | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-23 | Cold/Wind ChillPulaski County · forecast zone Pulaski | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-21 | Winter WeatherPulaski County · forecast zone Pulaski | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-21 | Dense FogPulaski County · forecast zone Pulaski | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-08 | Dense FogPulaski County · forecast zone Pulaski | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-11-23 | Dense FogPulaski County · forecast zone Pulaski | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-05-06 | TornadoGrand Chain, Pulaski County This violent tornado began near Grand Chain and reached its maximum intensity of 210 MPH as it neared the Massac County line. A 53-year-old man was killed when the chimney of his house collapsed on him. The man, who was in his basement, was protecting his son by lying on top of him when the collapse occurred. The son ... | F4 6 mi x 1,000 yd | 1 | 13 | $5.6M |
| 2019-06-21 | Thunderstorm WindUllin, Pulaski County Damaging winds crossed parts of Pulaski County, downing numerous trees. A 48-year-old woman was killed when a tree fell onto her car as she was driving on Old U.S. Highway 51 about two miles south of Ullin. At Mounds, a teenage girl was seriously injured when a tree fell on her in a city park. | 65 kt wind | 1 | 1 | $23K |
| 2022-12-22 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillPulaski County · forecast zone Pulaski A powerful cold front swept through the region, with wind chills dropping to 20 to 30 below zero. These were the coldest wind chills observed in over 25 years across the region. Paducah, KY dropped down to a -21 wind chill, which was the coldest since February 3, 1996. The most extreme wind chills were from the ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2015-01-03 | FloodPulaski County One fatality occurred when a motorist drove around barricades into a flooded area along Sandusky Road. The area is fairly prone to flooding of the Cache River. The vehicle was found completely submerged in Cache River floodwaters. A volunteer fire and rescue squad located the vehicle and the body of the motorist. The ... | 1 | 0 | $50K | |
| 1972-04-21 | TornadoPulaski County | F2 5.6 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 2 | $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.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-09-14 | High WindPulaski County and Union County · forecast zone Pulaski | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $8.2M |
| 2003-05-06 | TornadoGrand Chain, Pulaski County | F4 6 mi x 1,000 yd | 1 | 13 | $5.6M |
| 1997-03-01 | FloodPulaski County and Union County · forecast zone Pulaski | 0 | 0 | $4.6M | |
| 2008-03-18 | FloodUllin, Pulaski County | 0 | 0 | $3.4M | |
| 2019-07-01 | FloodMound City, Pulaski County | 0 | 0 | $612K | |
| 2011-05-01 | FloodMound City, Pulaski County | 0 | 0 | $262K | |
| 2006-03-12 | Thunderstorm WindUllin, Pulaski County | 78 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $146K |
| 2005-01-13 | TornadoPulaski County | F1 11 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $106K |
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: April 3, 1957 (tornado, Pulaski 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 Pulaski 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 23 | 40 | 55 | 19 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | – | – | – | – | 7 | 22 | 60 | 38 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 10 | 24 | 44 | 22 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 6 | 13 | 41 z | 30 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 27 | 13 | 11 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 2 | 15 | 32 | 17 |
Heat in the 2010s: 41 records against 13 in the decade before, 41 of them forecast-zone records. Cells marked z rose mostly through zone records. The local National Weather Service office files these once per forecast zone, so a change in how it draws its zones or splits a storm into records moves this count as much as the weather does; read it beside the Pulaski County days with a record above.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
Records by month in Pulaski County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 99 · Feb 87 · Mar 73 · Apr 88 · May 69 · Jun 51 · Jul 76 · Aug 48 · Sep 26 · Oct 34 · Nov 43 · Dec 74 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Pulaski County
FEMA's register lists 14 declarations that include Pulaski County: 12 major disasters, 2 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (6) and flood (4).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-03-26 | DR-4489 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3435 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2011-06-07 | DR-1991 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2009-03-02 | DR-1826 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2005-09-07 | EM-3230 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2003-05-15 | DR-1469 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2002-05-21 | DR-1416 | Tornado | Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding |
| 1997-03-21 | DR-1170 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1995-05-30 | DR-1053 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1993-07-09 | DR-997 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1983-06-06 | DR-684 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding |
| 1979-04-30 | DR-583 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1973-04-26 | DR-373 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1969-08-30 | DR-276 | Flood | Heavy Rains & 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 Pulaski County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 137 flood or flash flood records for Pulaski County from 1996 to 2025, on 134 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Pulaski County ranks 1874th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $168,000 on 32 claims filed in Pulaski County; the most in one year was 5 in 1983. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1979: 3 · 1980: 1 · 1983: 5 · 1986: 1 · 1989: 3 · 2001: 1 · 2002: 3 · 2008: 3 · 2011: 4 · 2019: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2026: 3; 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 Pulaski County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pulaski County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $10.8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | $4.4M | once in about 81 years (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $2.8M | 1.1 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $882K | 4 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $436K | 5.6 modeled event-days a year |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | $84K | 1.1 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $265K | 11 modeled event-days a year |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | $529K | once in about 6 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $26K | 6.8 a year (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Pulaski 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
- Floods in IllinoisThe state's floods and flash floods, 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 Pulaski CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Pulaski County's FEMA declarations (CSV)14 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis