192
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$2.5M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Clay County, Illinois: 192 recorded events between 1973 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 78. That places the county #1,103 nationally and #46 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Clay County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Clay County is the 2010s, when 74 of the county's 192 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 Clay County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 52.7% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,103 for this hazard and #46 within Illinois, putting it in the 64.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Clay County with 50 recorded events, while Nov 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 14, 2011 | FLORA | 52 | 0 | 3 | $10K |
| May 31, 2004 | COUNTYWIDE | 65 | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 13, 2016 | INGRAHAM | 78 | 0 | 1 | $100K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 2026 | LOUISVILLE | 52 | $0 |
| Mar 11, 2026 | MC CABE | 52 | $0 |
| Mar 11, 2026 | XENIA | 58 | $0 |
| Mar 11, 2026 | XENIA | 52 | $0 |
| Apr 21, 2025 | MC CABE | 52 | $0 |
| Apr 19, 2025 | INGRAHAM | 61 | $0 |
| Apr 19, 2025 | INGRAHAM | 61 | $0 |
| Apr 19, 2025 | INGRAHAM | 61 | $0 |
| Apr 19, 2025 | MC CABE | 61 | $0 |
| Apr 19, 2025 | SAILOR SPGS | 61 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Clay County
- Hail 81
- Flash Flood 57
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A swath of damaging winds went through the town of Hord. 26 homes received minor damage. 20 outbuildings were damaged and 6 were destroyed. 2 businesses had minor damage. 10 utility poles were destroyed. Numerous trees and tree limbs were blown down and several corn fields were flattened.
A 61 MPH wind gust was measured at the Flora Airport. Numerous trees, tree limbs, and power lines were blown down between Xenia and Sailor Springs, including the Flora area. In addition, siding was torn off mobile homes in Flora and a semi was blown over near Sailor Springs.
Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous trees and power lines in and around Xenia. The winds also tore awnings and underpinnings off several mobile homes. Another home received minor damage when a tree fell on it. A truck was damaged by a falling antenna.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Clay County, Illinois?
192 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Clay County between 1973 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Clay County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Clay County measured 78.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Clay 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 Clay County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/clay-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.