93
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$4.6M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Putnam County, Illinois: 93 recorded events between 1981 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 87. That places the county #2,292 nationally and #87 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Putnam County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Putnam County is the 2020s, when 30 of the county's 93 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 Putnam County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 49.7% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #2,292 for this hazard and #87 within Illinois, putting it in the 27.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Putnam County with 25 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.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 2026 | HENNEPIN | 50 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2026 | GRANVILLE | 52 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2026 | HENNEPIN | 65 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2026 | HENNEPIN | 56 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2026 | HENNEPIN | 53 | $0 |
| Jul 12, 2025 | FLORID | 50 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | HENNEPIN | 70 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | HENNEPIN | 65 | $0 |
| Aug 28, 2024 | MC NABB | 50 | $0 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | FLORID | 56 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Putnam County
- Hail 64
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The same storm that produced a downburst 10 minutes earlier produced another around the town of Standard, Illinois. Numerous trees and powerlines were downed with a brand new 20×16 shed destroyed. The debris from the shed was scattered up to 400 yards away. The sheriff stated that the strongest winds only lasted 20 to 30 seconds.
Widespread damage was reported across the county after thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines. The cities of Hennepin, Granville, and Standard suffered power outages. And numerous trees were blown down in Mc Nabb, Mark, and Magnolia.
Location is near the junction of Illinois 18 and 26, along King's Curve, or 1.2 miles ESE of Henry, Illinois near the Putnam/Marshall County line. Numerous trees were downed in a downburst, some rotted but other fully solid. Several cars ran off into the roadside ditches in an attempt to avoid the trees across the road.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Putnam County, Illinois?
93 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Putnam County between 1981 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Putnam County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Putnam County measured 87.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Putnam 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 Putnam County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/putnam-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.