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Christian County, Illinois severe weather history spans 442 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,091 nationally and #34 in Illinois.
442
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
28
Direct injuries
$133.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Christian County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Christian County, Illinois severe weather history averages 6.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 122 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 52 events fall before 1990 and 390 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Christian County, Illinois record is flood, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $125.1M 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 Christian County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 217 | 0 | $1.4M | 70 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 112 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1968–2026 |
| Tornado | 60 | 0 | $125.1M | F3 | 1955–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 46 | 0 | $4.4M | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Flood | 5 | 4 | $2.8M | 0 | 2015–2018 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $35K | 0 | 2008–2008 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2006 |
Decade by decade
Christian County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
63 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 50 touched down inside it and 13 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-06-01 | EF3 | 1 | 4 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-12-01 | EF3 | 0 | 22 | 12.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-20 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 8.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-12-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 23.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 25.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-12-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-02-20 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 22.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 20.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-06-01 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 15.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-02-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Christian County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 27, 2015 | Flood | SICILY | 4 | 0 | $2.8M |
| Dec 1, 2018 | Tornado | PALMER | 0 | 22 | $118.9M |
| Apr 13, 1987 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| May 11, 1975 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $3K | |
| Jun 20, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | TAYLORVILLE | 0 | 1 | $75K |
| Apr 2, 2006 | Tornado | TAYLORVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A severe thunderstorm produced 2.50 to 4.00 of rain within 90 minutes in northwest and central Christian County, including parts of the city of Taylorville. Most rural roads from Taylorville to Edinburg and Kincaid were impassable. Some city streets and basements in homes in northwestern portions of Taylorville were also flooded. Illinois Routes 29 and 104 from Taylorville to Kincaid were closed for a period of time during the late evening. The flooding subsided by Midnight local time.
A tornado touched down along IL Route 48 on the southwest edge of Stonington at 5:34 PM CST. At this time, two circulations aloft merged near the west side of Stonington, causing the tornado to take a sharp turn toward the north. Much of the damage in the town was on the northwest side where house roofs were impacted and several garages and sheds were destroyed. The tornado continued tracking to the north and did significant damage to outbuildings at a farm 4 miles north of Stonington. The tornado then curved toward the northeast, damaging several more outbuildings and sheds before it dissipated near Mosquito Creek, about 5.9 miles east-southeast of Mt. Auburn at 5:52 PM CST.
This tornado crossed into Christian County from Shelby County 2.9 miles south of Pana at 4:19 PM CST. The tornado damaged several outbuildings, trees and a garage south and east of Pana before crossing back into Shelby County 3.0 miles east of Pana at 4:25 PM CST.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
33,538
Population (ACS)
$116K
Median home value
8
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 |
| Mar 17, 2011 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Feb 9, 2007 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Christian County, Illinois?
442 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $133.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Christian County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 217 recorded events — 49.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Christian County?
63 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 50 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Christian County?
8 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Christian County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Christian County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Christian County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 54 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Christian 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
- Champaign County 840
- Clark County 232
- Cass County 208
- Clay County 364
- Carroll County 373
- Clinton County 354
Cite this page
“Christian County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/christian-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.