285
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$5.7M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Macon County, Illinois: 285 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 95. That places the county #508 nationally and #22 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Macon County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Macon County is the 2020s, when 80 of the county's 285 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 Macon County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 50.7% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #508 for this hazard and #22 within Illinois, putting it in the 83.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Macon County with 59 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2, 2003 | WARRENSBURG | 62 | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 1990 | 0 | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| May 16, 2025 | (DEC)DECATUR ARPT | 61 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 2, 1999 | BLUE MOUND | 52 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Nov 10, 1998 | MACON | 50 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 11, 2026 | DECATUR | 52 | $0 |
| Dec 28, 2025 | MT ZION | 61 | $0 |
| Dec 28, 2025 | DECATUR | 52 | $0 |
| Aug 19, 2025 | ARGENTA | 70 | $0 |
| Aug 19, 2025 | FORSYTH | 70 | $0 |
| Aug 19, 2025 | FORSYTH | 70 | $0 |
| Aug 19, 2025 | MAROA | 87 | $1.0M |
| Aug 19, 2025 | FORSYTH | 70 | $0 |
| Aug 19, 2025 | FORSYTH | 70 | $0 |
| May 16, 2025 | DECATUR | 61 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Macon County
- Hail 150
- Tornado 78
- Flash Flood 43
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A downburst occurred in Forsyth damaging 43 homes (one home was destroyed, three homes had major damage, and four businesses had minor damage). There was also some minor damage to a public park. Damage was estimated around $1,400,000.
Extensive wind damage occurred across Maroa. The roof of a township building on South Wood Street was blown off and approximately 100 trees were blown down across town. A camper was blown over and crops near town were flattened. In addition, a solar farm on the south side of Maroa was destroyed.
As the bow echo moved through Macon County, the Maroa area sustained considerable damage. A high-tension transmission line was blown down across US 51. Eight structures which carried the line were damaged and a nearby barn and shed were destroyed. No injuries were reported.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Macon County, Illinois?
285 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Macon County between 1958 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Macon County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Macon County measured 95.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Macon 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 Macon County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/macon-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.