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Calhoun County, Illinois severe weather history spans 142 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,737 nationally and #101 in Illinois.
142
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$517K
Property damage
The record
What the Calhoun County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Calhoun County, Illinois severe weather history averages 2.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 56 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 15 events fall before 1990 and 127 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $425K in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Calhoun County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 76 | 0 | $32K | 61 | 1974–2023 |
| Hail | 32 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1983–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 10 | 0 | $425K | F2 | 1958–2025 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2007–2013 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2005 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
Decade by decade
Calhoun County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
13 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-03-13 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 44.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1954-03-25 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 21.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-03-12 | EF2 | 0 | 20 | 67.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-02-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 21.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-06-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-02-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-06-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-05-31 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 6.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-12-31 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Calhoun County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 1969 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $25K | |
| Nov 16, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Calhoun County sheriff reported at least 5 trees across roads around Hamburg. The closed roads in the county include Route 100, Michael Hamburg Road, Treshman Hollow Road, Irish Hollow Road, Gresham Hollow Road, East Panther Creek Road, and Indian Creek Hollow Road. Several of these roads were closed due to pavement or culverts being washed out.
The Illinois River hit major flood levels all along the border of Calhoun County. The river crested at Hardin, IL on April 26th at 36.34 feet but remained over flood stage into May.|Agricultural damage was the only know damage. Damage estimates were not available.
The Illinois River along the border of Calhoun County remained at major flood levels in early May, dropped below major levels for a while, then rose to major levels again at the end of May. Damage was limited to some closed roads and flooded farmland.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
4,330
Population (ACS)
$191K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 19, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 10, 2013 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 17, 2011 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Calhoun County, Illinois?
142 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $517K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Calhoun County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 76 recorded events — 53.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Calhoun County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Calhoun County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Calhoun County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Calhoun County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Calhoun County as very low risk, placing it in the 6 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Calhoun 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
- Bureau County 487
- Carroll County 373
- Brown County 145
- Cass County 208
- Boone County 267
- Champaign County 840
Cite this page
“Calhoun County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/calhoun-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.