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Clay County, Illinois severe weather history spans 364 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,412 nationally and #51 in Illinois.
364
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
20
Direct injuries
$25.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Clay County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Clay County, Illinois severe weather history averages 5.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 143 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 15 events fall before 1990 and 349 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $13.3M 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 Clay County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 192 | 0 | $2.5M | 78 | 1973–2026 |
| Hail | 81 | 0 | $6K | 3.5 | 1984–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 57 | 0 | $9.1M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Tornado | 21 | 0 | $13.3M | F4 | 1957–2026 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2018 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $160K | 0 | 2012–2016 |
Decade by decade
Clay County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
20 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-06-02 | EF4 | 0 | 2 | 23.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-12-18 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 19.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2009-03-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 9.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-04-27 | EF1 | 0 | 5 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-04-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-03-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 24.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Clay County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 1998 | Tornado | FLORA | 0 | 8 | $2.1M |
| Apr 28, 2002 | Tornado | FLORA | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| Jun 14, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | FLORA | 0 | 3 | $10K |
| May 31, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 13, 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | INGRAHAM | 0 | 1 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado originally touched down in Marion County in the National Weather Service Saint Louis County Warning Area (CWA), then crossed into southwestern Clay County just north of the intersection of Beard Road and Songer Township Lane at 7:35 PM CDT. It knocked down several trees and power lines before tracking northeastward and doing its greatest damage at a farm on the north end of Penguin Drive where several large metal buildings were demolished. The tornado then lifted just east of Xenia-Iola Road between Songer Township Lane and Hickory Hill Lane at 7:43 PM CDT.
Numerous thunderstorms produced 3 to 6 inches of rain on already saturated ground in nearly all of Clay County. Major flash flooding was reported in the town of Xenia and the city of Flora, where several people were evacuated from their flooded homes. Several water rescues were made for stranded motorists in and near Flora. In the northwest part of the county from Iola to Hord all roads were closed, including U.S. Highway 45.
A tornado developed about 1 mile southwest of Clay City. The tornado tracked northeast and dissipated near Clay City High School. Structures damaged along the path of the tornado included a barn and several garages, and 15 homes sustained minor to moderate roof damage. One concrete block storage building collapsed. Numerous trees were also damaged.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
13,052
Population (ACS)
$97K
Median home value
5
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 |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| May 21, 2002 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Flora 113
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Clay County, Illinois?
364 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $25.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Clay County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 192 recorded events — 52.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Clay County?
20 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 15 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Clay County?
5 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Clay County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Clay County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Clay County as very low risk, placing it in the 41 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Clay 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
- Clark County 232
- Clinton County 354
- Christian County 442
- Coles County 418
- Champaign County 840
- Cook County 2,633
Cite this page
“Clay County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/clay-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.