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Ford County, Illinois severe weather history spans 258 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 50.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,055 nationally and #75 in Illinois.
258
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$21.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Ford County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ford County, Illinois severe weather history averages 3.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 75 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 33 events fall before 1990 and 225 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $13.0M 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 Ford County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 129 | 0 | $1.0M | 70 | 1961–2026 |
| Hail | 47 | 0 | $255K | 2.5 | 1978–2025 |
| Tornado | 39 | 0 | $6.4M | F2 | 1956–2026 |
| Flood | 18 | 0 | $500K | 0 | 1998–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 0 | $13.0M | 0 | 2002–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2025–2025 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2018 |
Decade by decade
Ford County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
39 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 32 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-04-07 | EF3 | 1 | 13 | 42.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-08-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 23.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 34.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-09-14 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 11.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1956-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-06-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-01-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ford County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 6, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Sep 14, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Aug 7, 2018 | Lightning | PAXTON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 13, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous trees up to two feet in diameter, tree limbs and power lines were blown down in Gibson City. Some trees and tree limbs fell onto houses. A semi tanker trailer was pushed over on its side. A large grain bin under construction was knocked off its foundation. Damage to the grain bin itself was estimated at $750,000.
Water 12 to 18 inches deep was reported on most streets and adjacent property across northern portions of Gibson City. Basements were flooded and 18 inches of water flooded the water treatment plant. A storm total of 4.75 inches of rain was measured.
Flash flooding was reported throughout much of Ford County. Deep and fast flowing water was flowing across many roads. Piper City reported 2.69 inches of rainfall, Paxton reported 2.25 inches and Gibson City reported 2.13 inches.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
13,406
Population (ACS)
$122K
Median home value
8
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 |
| Jan 17, 2001 | Snowstorm | ILLINOIS WINTER SNOW STORMS | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ford County, Illinois?
258 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $21.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ford County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 129 recorded events — 50.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ford County?
39 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 32 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Ford County?
8 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ford County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ford County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ford County as very low risk, placing it in the 26 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ford 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
- Fayette County 264
- Franklin County 435
- Effingham County 378
- Fulton County 617
- Edwards County 149
- Gallatin County 239
Cite this page
“Ford County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/ford-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.