443
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$7.6M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Champaign County, Illinois: 443 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 78. That places the county #165 nationally and #7 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Champaign County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Champaign County is the 2010s, when 139 of the county's 443 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Champaign County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 52.7% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #165 for this hazard and #7 within Illinois, putting it in the 94.8 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Champaign County with 151 recorded events, while Feb is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 29, 1987 | 0 | 0 | 5 | $0 | |
| Jun 29, 1998 | COUNTYWIDE | 72 | 0 | 2 | $500K |
| May 25, 2011 | PESOTUM | 52 | 0 | 1 | $15K |
| Jun 12, 1998 | HOMER | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 2026 | TOLONO | 52 | $0 |
| Jan 8, 2026 | PESOTUM | 61 | $0 |
| Jan 8, 2026 | BONDVILLE | 61 | $0 |
| Aug 19, 2025 | URBANA | 52 | $0 |
| Aug 16, 2025 | HOMER ARPT | 70 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 2025 | SIDNEY | 52 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 2025 | CHANUTE AFB | 61 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 2025 | PHILO | 52 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 2025 | (CMI)WILLARD FLD CHA | 51 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 2025 | TOLONO | 52 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Champaign County
- Hail 233
- Tornado 81
- Flash Flood 65
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A line of severe thunderstorms moved southeast across the eastern half of Champaign County. In Ludlow, at least 40 homes sustained minor to major damage as well as several businesses. Three large grain bins were destroyed and numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Widespread tree and power line damage was reported in Gifford, Penfield, Rantoul and Ogden. A semi was blown over on I-57 near Ludlow but the driver was not injured.
Thunderstorm winds caused considerable damage as they moved through the western portions of Champaign County. Several trees were blown over and an air conditioning unit was blown off of its concrete base in Mahomet. Also, a trampoline was blown 30 feet in the air and landed in a nearby tree. Nearby at the Lake of the Woods park, 25 trees were seriously damaged and a small metal shelter was lifted up and moved about 100 feet. As the severe thunderstorms moved southeast, thunderstorm winds extensively damaged two empty grain bin silos in Rising. One 60-foot high corrugated steel bin was flattened and another nearby was left standing but crumpled. Also, a small screen bin, a grain dryer, spouts, and legs to the bins were twisted and torn. No injuries were reported and damage was estimated between $600,000 and $700,000 at the grain elevators in Rising. No estimate was available for the damage in Mahomet.
Several areas in Champaign County sustained considerable damage caused by microbursts (100 to 110 mph) as the thunderstorms marched across the county. Just south of Willard Airport, a mobile home was destroyed. A woman inside the mobile home sustained minor injuries as the home was rolled off its foundation and disintegrated. A nearby roofing business literally lost its roof. In the same general area, two semis were blown over on I-57 with one driver sustaining minor injuries. Further south, just south of Tolono, 21 cars of a freight train were blown off the tracks. No injuries were reported with that incident.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Champaign County, Illinois?
443 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Champaign County between 1956 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Champaign County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Champaign County measured 78.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Champaign County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Champaign County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/champaign-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.