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Boone County, Illinois severe weather history spans 267 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,989 nationally and #71 in Illinois.
267
Recorded events
26
Direct deaths
454
Direct injuries
$8.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Boone County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Boone County, Illinois severe weather history averages 4.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 79 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 29 events fall before 1990 and 238 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Boone County, Illinois record is tornado, responsible for 25 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $7.2M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Boone County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 139 | 0 | $570K | 75 | 1972–2026 |
| Hail | 65 | 0 | $250K | 2 | 1963–2026 |
| Tornado | 25 | 25 | $7.2M | F4 | 1959–2025 |
| Flood | 16 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 14 | 0 | $236K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2020–2026 |
| Lightning | 2 | 1 | $5K | 0 | 2001–2008 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | — | 2026–2026 |
Decade by decade
Boone County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
26 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 18 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-04-21 | EF4 | 24 | 450 | 25.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-04-09 | EF4 | 2 | 11 | 30.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-01-07 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 13.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-10-08 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 81.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-11-22 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 18.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-03-31 | EF1 | 1 | 40 | 27.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-03-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 17.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-06-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-06-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Boone County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 1967 | Tornado | 24 | 410 | $250K | |
| Apr 1, 2023 | Tornado | IRENE | 1 | 40 | $0 |
| Aug 10, 2001 | Lightning | CAPRON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | Tornado | POPLAR GROVE | 0 | 4 | $2.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado crossed into Boone County south of Cherry Valley from Winnebago County. The tornado, which originated in Ogle County, traversed northeastward doing minor damage to farms. As it moved through the town of Belvidere, the storm produced multiple instances of damage to businesses, homes, and trees. Included in this is the partial roof collapse of the Apollo Theatre downtown which resulted in one fatality and 40 injuries. From there, the tornado would travel another 7 miles doing additional damage to trees before lifting near Orth Rd just west of the Boone-McHenry county line.
A tornado which touched down in eastern Winnebago County, crossed into western Boone County and moved across largely open rural fields towards the town of Caledonia. Significant damage occurred to at least six buildings in Caledonia, with approximately 20 additional buildings sustaining minor damage. Several large trees were snapped or uprooted, and a grain bin partially collapsed. The tornado was again likely at EF2 intensity at this time. The tornado then continued northeast from Caledonia, downing several power poles and causing damage ranging from blown off roofs to completely destroying at least three farm outbuildings. One of these buildings, located two miles northwest of Capron, had also been damaged during the January 2008 tornado. The tornado then crossed into McHenry County.
Hail to two inches in diameter was estimated on Route 76 near Poplar Grove Airport. Shopping centers in the area reported heavy damage from hail. A Walmart had 129 skylights damaged or broken while a ShopKo was also damaged by the hail.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
53,230
Population (ACS)
$217K
Median home value
11
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Mar 17, 2011 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Mar 13, 2008 | Snowstorm | RECORD SNOW AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | EM |
| Dec 29, 2006 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Belvidere 119
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Boone County, Illinois?
267 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 26 direct deaths and $8.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Boone County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 139 recorded events — 52.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Boone County?
26 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 18 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Boone County?
11 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Boone County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Boone County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Boone County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 57 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Boone County, Illinois severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Bond County 220
- Brown County 145
- Alexander County 336
- Bureau County 487
- Adams County 513
- Calhoun County 142
Cite this page
“Boone County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/boone-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.