304
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$51.8M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Henry County, Illinois: 304 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 100. That places the county #437 nationally and #17 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Henry County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Henry County is the 2010s, when 85 of the county's 304 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 Henry County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 44.8% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #437 for this hazard and #17 within Illinois, putting it in the 86.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Henry County with 88 recorded events, while Jan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21, 2008 | GREEN RIVER | 78 | 2 | 4 | $0 |
| Jul 25, 2009 | GREEN ROCK | 61 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
| Jun 4, 1999 | KEWANEE | 65 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 2026 | GREEN RIVER | 57 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2025 | GENESEO | 56 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2025 | GREEN RIVER | 50 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2025 | GREEN ROCK | 56 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2025 | GERMAN CORNER | 65 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2025 | SHADY BEACH | 61 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2025 | SHADY BEACH | 61 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2025 | COLONA | 50 | $0 |
| May 20, 2025 | GALVA | 56 | $0 |
| May 15, 2025 | BISHOP HILL | 52 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Henry County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Wind gusts estimated to be 90 mph toppled over 100 trees at the Indian Trails Resort in Colona, IL around 615 am July 21. One tree fell onto a tent killing a 4 year old boy and a 9 month old girl and injuring four other children. A family pet (dog) was also killed.
Also reported by law enforcement, spotters, and emergency managers in the southern part of the county. Extensive damage in Woodhull, Alpha, Nekoma, and Galva. Law enforcement reported zero visibility at the height of the storm on I-74 with cars blown into the ditches.
A bow echo interacted with a surface boundary over Atkinson and produced a ducted downburst over a narrow path of about 1 mile. About 12 homes sustained varying amounts of damage with many trees either uprooted or damaged. An RV wasflipped onto its side.At the Atkinson Grain & Fertilizer plant a 100 foot leg was torn away and dropped on the railroad tracks where it was hit by a slow moving train several hours later.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Henry County, Illinois?
304 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Henry County between 1955 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Henry County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Henry County measured 100.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Henry 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 Henry County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/henry-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.