381
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$5.5M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Tazewell County, Illinois: 381 recorded events between 1960 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 87. That places the county #247 nationally and #11 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Tazewell County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Tazewell County is the 2020s, when 116 of the county's 381 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 Tazewell County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 52.3% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #247 for this hazard and #11 within Illinois, putting it in the 92.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Tazewell County with 90 recorded events, while Feb 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 11, 1999 | DELAVAN | 51 | 0 | 6 | $40K |
| Jun 23, 1995 | Morton | 0 | 0 | 6 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 10, 2026 | PEKIN | 52 | $0 |
| Mar 10, 2026 | SOUTH PEKIN | 52 | $0 |
| Mar 6, 2026 | MACKINAW | 52 | $0 |
| Jan 8, 2026 | MINIER | 52 | $0 |
| Jan 8, 2026 | MINIER | 61 | $0 |
| Jan 8, 2026 | MACKINAW | 52 | $0 |
| Jan 8, 2026 | WALNUT | 52 | $0 |
| Jan 8, 2026 | CRANDALL | 52 | $0 |
| Jan 8, 2026 | CREVE COEUR | 52 | $0 |
| Jan 8, 2026 | CREVE COEUR | 52 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Tazewell County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
As the storms moved through Tazewell County, more intense damage was observed in two main areas, Morton and South Pekin. In Morton, as a tornado moved through southwestern portions of the city, strong microburst winds (100 to 110 mph) caused considerable tree and power line damage, as well as, structural damage in and close to the tornado path which masked or "wiped out" any evidence of a possible tornado touchdown. The tornado occurrence was not discounted however, as there were numerous valid spotter observations plus a mesocyclone signature on doppler radar. In the South Pekin area, 7 railroad cars were blown over and two high-tension towers were blown down. Fortunately, no injuries were reported and damage in Tazewell County was estimated around $3 million.
Widespread damage was reported countywide. In Green Valley, a large empty grain bin was blown over, several sheds destroyed, and an irrigation system was wrapped around a couple of power poles. In Groveland, a radio tower was blown down, causing $500,000 in damage. New townhouses under construction in Pekin were destroyed. In Morton, part of a roof from a business was blown off. Debris from the roof damaged 3 cars in the parking lot. In Washington the storm intensified. A building housing a restaurant and a bakery was destroyed and a hanger at a private airport was destroyed. Three planes in the hanger were damaged. In Minier, several homes sustained roof damage and a couple of sheds were destroyed. Also, numerous trees, tree limbs, power poles, and power lines were blown down countywide.
A line of severe thunderstorms moved through Tazewell county. A 60 mph wind gust was recorded in Delavan and numerous trees & tree limbs were reported blown down in Green Valley, South Pekin, and Tremont. In Morton, the thunderstorm winds caused $500,000 in damage to a car dealership as shingles, rocks, and other debris were blown onto over 300 cars, knocking out windows on some and causing large dents in others. No injuries were reported.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Tazewell County, Illinois?
381 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Tazewell County between 1960 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Tazewell County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Tazewell County measured 87.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Tazewell 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 Tazewell County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/tazewell-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.