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Champaign County, Illinois severe weather history spans 840 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #256 nationally and #7 in Illinois.
840
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
71
Direct injuries
$166.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Champaign County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Champaign County, Illinois severe weather history averages 11.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 254 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 137 events fall before 1990 and 703 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Champaign County, Illinois record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $103.9M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Champaign County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 443 | 0 | $7.6M | 78 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 233 | 0 | $5.8M | 4.25 | 1956–2026 |
| Tornado | 81 | 2 | $103.9M | F4 | 1953–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 65 | 0 | $47.6M | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Lightning | 12 | 0 | $629K | 0 | 1997–2013 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2014–2024 |
Decade by decade
Champaign County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
86 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 75 touched down inside it and 11 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-03-20 | EF4 | 0 | 18 | 63.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-04-09 | EF3 | 3 | 22 | 156.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-04-19 | EF3 | 1 | 13 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 5.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-11-17 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 18.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-11-17 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 29.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-04-19 | EF3 | 0 | 12 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 14.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-04-22 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 31.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-09-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Champaign County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 20, 1996 | Tornado | OGDEN | 1 | 13 | $0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $250K | |
| Apr 20, 1996 | Tornado | SAVOY | 0 | 12 | $9.0M |
| Mar 20, 1976 | Tornado | 0 | 11 | $2.5M | |
| Nov 17, 2013 | Tornado | THOMASBORO | 0 | 6 | $60.0M |
| Jun 29, 1987 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 5 | $0 | |
| Jan 25, 1967 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $25K | |
| Apr 23, 1963 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Periods of thunderstorms with heavy rainfall produced rain rates of 1 to 2.5 inches for at least two hours from 0630-0830 LST in northwest and central Champaign County – including the cities of Champaign and Mahomet/Lake of the Woods. The highest rain totals ranged between 6.00 to 7.00 inches from Mahomet to the village of Foosland. Nearly all rural roads in northwest Champaign County were flooded with at least a foot of water. Illinois Route 47 from Gibson City to Mahomet, U.S. Highway 150 from Mansfield to Mahomet, and U.S. Highway 136 near Fisher were closed due to flooding. Parts of Interstate 74 from milepost 168 to 173 were impassable. Numerous streets and viaducts in Mahomet and Champaign were also impassable. Many homes in Mahomet and Champaign also had significant basement flooding. Estimated flood damages in Champaign County were around $47 Million.
A line of severe thunderstorms moved southeast across the eastern half of Champaign County. In Ludlow, at least 40 homes sustained minor to major damage as well as several businesses. Three large grain bins were destroyed and numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Widespread tree and power line damage was reported in Gifford, Penfield, Rantoul and Ogden. A semi was blown over on I-57 near Ludlow but the driver was not injured.
Around 1.00 to 1.75 inches of rain fell onto frozen ground late on February 19th. This set the conditions for rapid flash flooding to occur on February 20th into the 21st when 3.00 to 5.00 of rain occurred. Numerous creeks and streams rapidly flooded in central and eastern Champaign County. Numerous roads in Champaign, Urbana, Savoy, St. Joseph, Rantoul and Thomasboro were impassable. Additional rainfall on February 22nd and 23rd resulted in storm total amounts ranging from 4.25 to 7.00 inches in central and eastern Champaign County. Roads in St. Joseph, Ogden, Homer and Sidney remained flooded for three days. A person attempting to cross a flooded road near the Salt Creek, north of St. Joseph had to be rescued during the late morning of February 21st. No injuries were reported, but the vehicle sank into the Salt Creek. The flooding finally dissipated during the early morning of February 23rd.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
208,741
Population (ACS)
$212K
Median home value
12
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Nov 26, 2013 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| May 21, 2002 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 8, 1999 | Snowstorm | IL-WINTER STORM 1/1/99 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Champaign 132
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Champaign County, Illinois?
840 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $166.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Champaign County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 443 recorded events — 52.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Champaign County?
86 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 75 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Champaign County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Champaign County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Champaign County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Champaign County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 90 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Champaign 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
- Cass County 208
- Christian County 442
- Carroll County 373
- Clark County 232
- Calhoun County 142
- Clay County 364
Cite this page
“Champaign County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/champaign-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.