Whiteside County, Illinois
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 17195 · population 55,637 · 684 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 794 records for Whiteside County, Illinois from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 514 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (276 records). The most damaging was the July 1, 2005 drought ($29.1 million in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 14 declarations naming the county since 1965, 12 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms and Flooding” on September 19, 2019.
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
- 794on 514 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 012 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $58Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 43strongest 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 Whiteside County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 276 since 1962. 48% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1962 fell in May and June. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 276 | 159 | 1962-2026 | 0 | 4 | $1.5M | 56 of 102 |
| Hail | 163 | 97 | 1964-2026 | 0 | 0 | $313K | 40 of 102 |
| Winter storms | 149 | 148 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 1 | $17K | 32 of 102 |
| Floods | 62 | 53 | 1997-2024 | 0 | 0 | $6.3M | 51 of 102 |
| Tornadoes | 43 | 37 | 1961-2026 | 0 | 4 | $15M | 34 of 102 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 26 | 20 | 1999-2018 | 0 | 0 | – | 26 of 102 |
| Extreme cold | 23 | 23 | 1996-2019 | 0 | 0 | $499K | 41 of 102 |
| High wind and dust storms | 22 | 18 | 1996-2019 | 0 | 2 | $221K | 54 of 102 |
| Drought | 15 | 15 | 2005-2013 | 0 | 0 | $33M | 59 of 102 |
| Heavy rain | 8 | 7 | 2001-2011 | 0 | 0 | $3K | 33 of 102 |
| Heat | 4 | 4 | 1997-2013 | 0 | 0 | – | 101 of 102 |
| Lightning | 3 | 3 | 2003-2010 | 0 | 1 | $334K | 50 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 Whiteside County had?
NOAA records 43 tornadoes in Whiteside County from 1961 to 2026, the strongest rated F4, with 0 deaths and 4 injuries recorded in the county. That is 34th 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 44 tornadoes whose track touched Whiteside County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 43: 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.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-03-29 18:30, as SPC files it | Prophetstown to Lyndon | F4 | 5.1 mi | 0 |
| 1990-03-13 16:45, as SPC files it | AlbanyCrossed IA, IL | F3 | 15.5 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Illinois.
Every tornado record filed for Whiteside County (43)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-02 | Penrose, Whiteside County | EF1 0.09 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-02 | Douglas Park, Whiteside County | EF1 3.72 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024-05-24 | Deer Grove, Whiteside County | EFU 1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-07-28 | East Clinton, Whiteside County | EF0 0.53 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-04-20 | Morrison, Whiteside County | EF1 5.89 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-03-31 | Deer Grove, Whiteside County | EF1 1.97 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-03-05 | Erie, Whiteside County | EF1 3.98 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020-11-10 | Albany, Whiteside County | EF1 0.26 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020-11-10 | Morrison-Rockwood Sp, Whiteside County | EF1 4.28 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020-11-10 | Round Grove, Whiteside County | EF1 3.47 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020-07-08 | Sterling, Whiteside County | EFU 0.31 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020-05-23 | Malvern, Whiteside County | EF1 9.91 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020-03-28 | Leon Corners, Whiteside County | EF1 2.17 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-07-21 | Fulton, Whiteside County | EF1 3.72 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $51K |
| 2017-05-23 | Denrock, Whiteside County | EF0 0.26 mi x 15 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-03-06 | Newton Corners, Whiteside County | EF1 1.54 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-02-28 | Coleta, Whiteside County | EF1 2.62 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2016-03-15 | Deer Grove, Whiteside County | EF0 1.76 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2015-07-16 | Sterling Airport, Whiteside County | EF0 0.55 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2015-06-22 | Sterling, Whiteside County | EF1 2.18 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2015-06-22 | Yeoward Addition, Whiteside County | EF1 1.67 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2015-04-09 | Ustick, Whiteside County | EF1 1.08 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2015-04-09 | Fulton, Whiteside County | EF1 3.91 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2013-05-30 | Portland Corners, Whiteside County | EF0 0.57 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2004-07-05 | Prophetstown, Whiteside County | F1 0.3 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $20K |
| 2003-09-12 | Fulton, Whiteside County | F0 0.2 mi x 35 yd | 0 | 0 | $24K |
| 1999-06-12 | Prophetstown, Whiteside County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1999-05-12 | Morrison, Whiteside County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1996-07-17 | Coleta, Whiteside County | F0 0.3 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1996-05-10 | Fulton, Whiteside County | F1 2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $941K |
| 1995-05-27 | Lyndon, Whiteside County | F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1995-05-09 | Rock Falls, Whiteside County | F0 1 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1992-06-19 | Whiteside County | F0 0.2 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1992-06-17 | Whiteside County | F0 0.1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1990-03-13 | Whiteside County | F3 3 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.5M step |
| 1988-05-08 | Whiteside County | F1 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1981-03-29 | Whiteside County | F4 5.1 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.5M step |
| 1974-06-20 | Whiteside County | F0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1967-04-21 | Whiteside County | F1 0.3 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1966-03-21 | Whiteside County | F2 | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1962-05-07 | Whiteside County | F2 7.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1962-05-07 | Whiteside County | F2 7.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1961-09-01 | Whiteside County | F1 | 0 | 4 | $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 Whiteside County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the February 5, 2025 winter weather (1 injury).
According to Illinois State Police, at 8:40 p.m. Wednesday troopers responded to a five-vehicle crash in Sterling, Illinois. Officials said four truck tractor semi-trailers lost traction on the Rock River Bridge and three of the four jackknifed causing the fifth vehicle to crash. One of the drivers of the semi-trailers was taken to an area hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1229327)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindSterling, Whiteside County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindDouglas Park, Whiteside County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-04 | Thunderstorm WindHamilton Corners, Whiteside County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-17 | Thunderstorm WindUnion Grove, Whiteside County | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-02 | TornadoPenrose, Whiteside County | EF1 0.09 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-02 | TornadoDouglas Park, Whiteside County | EF1 3.72 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-02 | Thunderstorm WindProphetstown, Whiteside County | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-02 | HailSterling Airport, Whiteside County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardWhiteside County · forecast zone Whiteside | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-10 | HailFulton, Whiteside County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-10 | HailAlbany, Whiteside County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-11-29 | Winter StormWhiteside County · forecast zone Whiteside | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961-09-01 | TornadoWhiteside County | F1 | 0 | 4 | $25K step |
| 2010-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindYeoward Addition, Whiteside County Severe thunderstorm winds blew a semi trailer carrying pretzels onto its side on westbound Interstate 88. Both the driver and passenger suffered minor injuries. | 65 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $34K |
| 2001-10-25 | Strong WindWhiteside County · forecast zone Whiteside Strong winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 45 mph spread across much of Eastern Iowa and Northwest Illinois during the afternoon hours of October 24, through the evening hours of October 25. These winds caused a road construction accident on the evening of October 25, 2 miles east of Erie, Illinois on Interstate 88. ... | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2025-02-05 | Winter WeatherWhiteside County · forecast zone Whiteside According to Illinois State Police, at 8:40 p.m. Wednesday troopers responded to a five-vehicle crash in Sterling, Illinois. Officials said four truck tractor semi-trailers lost traction on the Rock River Bridge and three of the four jackknifed causing the fifth vehicle to crash. One of the drivers of the ... | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2010-08-20 | LightningMorrison, Whiteside County A 12 year old boy was struck by lightning at Southside Elementary School in Morrison, IL just before 2 pm CDT August 20. | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2005-09-13 | Thunderstorm WindColeta, Whiteside County A tree was blown onto a moving vehicle, injuring the driver. | 52 kt wind | 0 | 1 | – |
| 1999-02-11 | Thunderstorm WindSterling, Whiteside County An intensifying squall line ahead of a strong cold front sent severe thunderstorms racing across Eastern Iowa and Northwest Illinois. Widespread damage from high winds and hail was reported across Southeast Iowa into Northwest Illinois as the storms moved northeast. Several high profile vehicles were overturned by the ... | 0 | 1 | $50K |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-07-01 | DroughtWhiteside County · forecast zone Whiteside | 0 | 0 | $29M | |
| 2005-08-01 | DroughtWhiteside County · forecast zone Whiteside | 0 | 0 | $3.9M | |
| 2016-07-29 | Flash FloodUnionville, Whiteside County | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | |
| 1997-02-20 | Flash FloodCountywide, Whiteside County | 0 | 0 | $1.1M | |
| 1996-05-10 | TornadoFulton, Whiteside County | F1 2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $941K |
| 2005-05-03 | Frost/FreezeWhiteside County · forecast zone Whiteside | 0 | 0 | $499K | |
| 2009-06-22 | FloodErie, Whiteside County | 0 | 0 | $344K | |
| 2014-08-25 | Thunderstorm WindMorrison, Whiteside County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $312K |
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 $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: March 29, 1981 (tornado, Whiteside County); March 13, 1990 (tornado, Whiteside 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 Whiteside 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 6 | 24 | 17 | 36 | 69 | 76 | 48 |
| Hail | 0 | 2 | 12 | 5 | 26 | 51 | 47 | 20 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 19 | 66 | 46 | 18 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 4 | 23 | 31 | 4 |
| Tornadoes | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 13 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | – | – | – | – | 10 | 10 | 6 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
48% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1962 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 57 · Feb 59 · Mar 53 · Apr 60 · May 138 · Jun 144 · Jul 70 · Aug 69 · Sep 28 · Oct 16 · Nov 35 · Dec 65 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Whiteside County
FEMA's register lists 14 declarations that include Whiteside County: 11 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (7) and biological (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-03-26 | DR-4489 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3435 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-09-19 | DR-4461 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2013-05-10 | DR-4116 | Flood | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2011-03-17 | DR-1960 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm |
| 2008-06-24 | DR-1771 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2005-09-07 | EM-3230 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2001-05-09 | DR-1368 | Flood | Flooding |
| 1993-07-09 | DR-997 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1979-01-16 | EM-3068 | Snowstorm | Blizzards & Snowstorms |
| 1974-06-10 | DR-438 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1973-04-26 | DR-373 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1969-06-06 | DR-262 | Flood | Flooding |
| 1965-04-25 | DR-194 | Tornado | Tornadoes, Severe Storms & 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 Whiteside County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 62 flood or flash flood records for Whiteside County from 1997 to 2024, on 53 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Whiteside County ranks 772nd of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $2.3 million on 287 claims filed in Whiteside County; the most in one year was 40 in 1993. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 2 · 1979: 23 · 1981: 3 · 1982: 8 · 1983: 5 · 1984: 2 · 1985: 7 · 1986: 14 · 1988: 4 · 1990: 2 · 1993: 40 · 1994: 13 · 1996: 4 · 1997: 23 · 1998: 1 · 2000: 2 · 2001: 36 · 2002: 20 · 2007: 2 · 2008: 8 · 2009: 3 · 2010: 1 · 2011: 9 · 2013: 6 · 2014: 1 · 2016: 2 · 2017: 1 · 2018: 6 · 2019: 28 · 2023: 9 · 2024: 1 · 2026: 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 Whiteside County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Whiteside County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $24.6 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 | $1.6M | 5.9 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $1.3M | 11 modeled event-days a year |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | $1.1M | 3.7 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $3.5M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $2.8M | 6.1 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | $203K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $120K | 16 a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $13M | 1.9 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 Whiteside 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
- Severe thunderstorm wind in IllinoisThe state's severe thunderstorm wind events, 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 Whiteside CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Whiteside County's FEMA declarations (CSV)14 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis