Illinois severe thunderstorm wind
Every recorded severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955 · 102 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 22,068 severe thunderstorm wind events in Illinois from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 605 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the August 23, 2007 thunderstorm wind: 2 deaths, 49 injuries and $5.0 million in damage in 2025 dollars across 25 records. Illinois ranks 6th of 52 states and territories by count and 17th of 51 per square mile.
Severe thunderstorm wind in Illinois, 1955 to 2026
Thunderstorm wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1996: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
- Records
- 22,0681955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 605average
- Deaths
- 37703 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $1.1Bas filed
- Busiest year
- 2025978 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events common in Illinois?
Illinois averages about 605 severe thunderstorm wind events a year since 2000, 6th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2025 (978). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Illinois records 3975 severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955, 17th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Illinois have the most severe thunderstorm wind events?
Per square mile, DuPage County leads Illinois: 195 days with a severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955, 594.8 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Cook County has the most thunderstorm wind records (1,514 since 1955); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the severe thunderstorm season in Illinois?
46% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in June and July. The busiest month is June (5,852 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 200 · Feb 252 · Mar 1,128 · Apr 1,868 · May 3,374 · Jun 5,852 · Jul 4,313 · Aug 2,897 · Sep 903 · Oct 537 · Nov 507 · Dec 237 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
What were the deadliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Illinois?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-08-23 | Thunderstorm WindChicago, Cook County One storm episode: 25 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. Powerful and damaging thunderstorms moved across northern Illinois producing widespread wind damage. The most intense wind damage occurred along a path which began in far western Dupage County near the intersection of Roosevelt Road and Washington Street in West Chicago and continued east through the northern portions ... | 64 kt wind | 2 | 49 | $5.0M |
| 2015-08-02 | Thunderstorm WindWood Dale, DuPage County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. An isolated supercell thunderstorm developed over north central Illinois and moved across portions of the Chicago metropolitan area during the afternoon of August 2nd, producing large hail and severe winds. A 35 year old man was killed at an outdoor event in Wood Dale when a large tent collapsed causing a beam to ... | 60 kt wind | 2 | 20 | – |
| 2008-07-21 | Thunderstorm WindGreen River, Henry County One storm episode: 10 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A bowing line of severe thunderstorms, known as a Derecho, raced across Iowa and Illinois during the early morning hours of July 21 producing widespread wind damage in about a 60 mile wide swath just south of Interstate 80. Winds gusting over 70 miles an hour toppled trees, ripped siding and shingles off homes and ... | 78 kt wind | 2 | 4 | $89K |
| 1991-05-05 | Thunderstorm WindCook County | 2 | 2 | – | |
| 1995-05-18 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Edwards County Two fatalities occurred when straight-line winds overturned a tractor-semitrailer into the path of an oncoming automobile. Both drivers were killed instantly. Numerous trees were blown down across the county with widespread power outages. | 2 | 0 | $387K | |
| 2009-05-08 | Thunderstorm WindNeunert, Jackson County One storm episode: 6 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. A mature, very intense derecho moved rapidly east along a stationary front across the Mid Mississippi Valley into the Lower Ohio Valley. With a very moist and unstable atmosphere, along with strongly veering winds aloft, embedded tornadic supercells were associated with the derecho. Widespread damaging winds were the ... | 92 kt wind | 1 | 29 | $393M |
| 2007-08-23 | Thunderstorm WindGalesburg Airport, Knox County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. A large severe thunderstorm bow echo moved across portions of Knox, Stark, Marshall, and Peoria counties during the afternoon hours of the 23rd causing significant damage. Widespread damage occurred across the city of Galesburg by wind gusts in the 70 to 80 mph range. These wind speeds continued for several miles past ... | 61 kt wind | 1 | 29 | $2.0M |
| 1989-11-15 | Thunderstorm WindSt. Clair County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (2, in 2 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 1 | 20 | – | |
| 1988-11-15 | Thunderstorm WindWinnebago County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (5, in 5 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 1 | 15 | – | |
| 2020-08-10 | Thunderstorm WindDixmoor, Cook County One storm episode: 73 records in 16 places; the totals are the episode's. During the late morning through the afternoon of Monday August 10th, a line of intense thunderstorms known as a derecho brought widespread severe wind damage across Iowa, northern Illinois and northern Indiana. In north central and northeast Illinois alone, the severe winds of 60 to 100 mph downed or damaged tens of ... | 78 kt wind | 1 | 10 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Illinois
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-05-08 | Thunderstorm WindNeunert, Jackson County One storm episode: 6 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. | 92 kt wind | 1 | 29 | $393M |
| 2003-07-21 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Henry County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 80 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $142M |
| 1994-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindMoweaqua, Shelby County | 0 | 0 | $110M | |
| 1999-08-12 | Thunderstorm WindBath, Mason County One storm episode: 8 records in 8 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $93M | |
| 1998-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Logan County One storm episode: 14 records in 14 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 11 | $22M | |
| 2006-07-21 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Jefferson County | 78 kt wind | 0 | 5 | $19M |
| 2003-07-05 | Thunderstorm WindPecatonica, Winnebago County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 90 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $16M |
| 2001-07-08 | Thunderstorm WindHoopeston, Vermilion County | 74 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $14M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events becoming more frequent in Illinois?
Illinois's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Illinois | United States | Illinois's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 138 | 3,482 | 4.0% |
| 1960s | 453 | 10,124 | 4.5% |
| 1970s | 900 | 18,714 | 4.8% |
| 1980s | 1,313 | 39,604 | 3.3% |
| 1990s | 2,718 | 85,554 | 3.2% |
| 2000s | 5,542 | 129,990 | 4.3% |
| 2010s | 5,271 | 161,286 | 3.3% |
| 2020-26 | 5,733 | 126,815 | 4.5% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent severe thunderstorm wind events in Illinois
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindMetamora, Woodford County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindUptown, Cook County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindMorgan Park, Cook County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindWashington Heights, Cook County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindWest Roseland, Cook County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindNorth Utica, LaSalle County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindMatthiessen State Park, LaSalle County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindNorth Utica, LaSalle County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindNorth Utica, LaSalle County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindEvergreen Park, Cook County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindCloverdale, DuPage County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindHanover Park, DuPage County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for severe thunderstorm wind events in Illinois
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 26 declarations in Illinois, 26 of them major disasters; the latest on August 15, 2023.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-08-15 | DR-4728 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 22 |
| 2011-06-07 | DR-1991 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 21 |
| 2010-08-19 | DR-1935 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 11 |
| 2009-07-02 | DR-1850 | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes | 8 |
| 2009-03-02 | DR-1826 | Severe Winter Storm | 9 |
| 2008-10-03 | DR-1800 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 16 |
| 2008-06-24 | DR-1771 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 25 |
| 2008-03-07 | DR-1747 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 2 |
| 2007-09-25 | DR-1729 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 9 |
| 2007-08-30 | DR-1722 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 2 |
| 2006-03-28 | DR-1633 | Tornadoes and Severe Storms | 6 |
| 2004-04-23 | DR-1513 | Severe Storms and Tornadoes | 4 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- DuPage County: the county's whole recordThe Illinois county with the most severe thunderstorm wind events per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in IllinoisTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Hail in Illinois12,331 records
- Winter storms in Illinois8,149 records
- Floods in Illinois6,507 records