301
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$1.4M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Rock Island County, Illinois: 301 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 93. That places the county #449 nationally and #18 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Rock Island County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Rock Island County is the 2010s, when 74 of the county's 301 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 Rock Island County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 47.9% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #449 for this hazard and #18 within Illinois, putting it in the 85.8 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Rock Island County with 81 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 18, 2010 | PORT BYRON | 75 | 0 | 3 | $20K |
| Jun 18, 2010 | ILLINIWEK PARK | 70 | 0 | 3 | $20K |
| Mar 9, 2002 | COAL VLY | 52 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 2025 | SILVIS HGTS | 50 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2025 | COAL VLY | 52 | $0 |
| Aug 16, 2025 | MOLINE | 56 | $0 |
| Aug 10, 2025 | ANDALUSIA | 61 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2025 | SILVIS | 61 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2025 | (MLI) QUAD CITY ARPT | 52 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2025 | JOSLIN | 50 | $0 |
| Jun 4, 2025 | BABCOCK ADDITION | 87 | $0 |
| Jun 4, 2025 | FRUITLAND | 65 | $0 |
| Jun 4, 2025 | COAL VLY | 56 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Rock Island County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Measured gust from KMLI ASOS that was confirmed by FAA backup equipment. A Hampton Inn under construction on the northeast side of the airport was demolished and a nearby interstate highway sign was blown over.NWS survey concluded a microburst occurred on the west edge of the airport. Considerable damage was done to a group of homes, outbuildings, power lines, and trees just outside the airport perimeter. The wind gust of 107 mph bested the old record wind gust of 81 mph at KMLI which was set on 21 August 1987.
The early morning wind event near Port Byron, Illinois was not reported until the following day. Thunderstorms that occurred at about the time of the event did not appear severe on radar. After conducting a post storm survey, it appeared that a small microburst type event occurred as one of the thunderstorms collapsed.
A roof was torn from a building and tossed onto nearby power poles, causing one of the poles to fall and smash the attached transformers into a passing van and setting the van on fire. The occupants of the van escaped without major injury.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Rock Island County, Illinois?
301 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Rock Island County between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Rock Island County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Rock Island County measured 93.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Rock Island 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 Rock Island County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/rock-island-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.