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Gallatin County, Illinois severe weather history spans 239 recorded events between 1963 and 2025. The dominant hazard is flood, accounting for 39.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,185 nationally and #80 in Illinois.
239
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
13
Direct injuries
$7.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Gallatin County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Gallatin County, Illinois severe weather history averages 3.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 102 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 11 events fall before 1990 and 228 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $3.4M 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 Gallatin County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood | 95 | 0 | $2.2M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 65 | 0 | $3.4M | 90 | 1978–2024 |
| Hail | 31 | 0 | $2K | 2.5 | 1973–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 22 | 0 | $267K | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Tornado | 12 | 0 | $1.6M | F3 | 1963–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2015 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2014 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $120K | 0 | 2011–2020 |
Decade by decade
Gallatin County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
14 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-02-29 | EF4 | 8 | 108 | 26.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1963-03-16 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-01-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 95.9 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Gallatin County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 29, 2012 | Tornado | EQUALITY | 0 | 13 | $1.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A large swath of very damaging straight-line winds, associated with a bow echo on radar, affected north and east Gallatin County. The damage swath was mostly over sparsely populated farm country, except where it struck New Haven. Winds were estimated around 90 mph over much of the area. Some barns were destroyed or damaged, including partial loss of roofs and walls. Grain storage equipment was damaged, including upending and destruction of several grain bins. One grain bin was blown into vehicles and onto a house, damaging the house roof. Some metal storage sheds were damaged or destroyed. Many large trees were uprooted, and a number of large tree trunks were snapped. There was shingle, siding, and antenna damage at some residences. One mobile home was shifted off piers and one was overturned. Utility pole crossarms were snapped, and poles were blown over.
Much of the flooding was due to a combination of backwater from the Ohio River and tremendous runoff from inland areas. The emergency management director reported that flooding in Old Shawneetown was the worst since 1964. All but the eastern part of town was flooded. About 20 families evacuated flooded parts of the county. Near Ridgway, firefighters rescued three children who were boating in floodwaters. The boat was taking on water, and the children were bailing water. Sandbagging was done to protect property in Equality and Junction. The Saline River was the primary cause of flooding there. A State of Emergency was declared for the county. Old Shaweetown was closed to all traffic except emergency local traffic.
The tornado crossed into Gallatin County from Saline County in the vicinity of Illinois Highway 142. The tornado moved east-northeast through very sparsely populated farm country before striking Ridgway directly. In Ridgway, the tornado damaged about 140 homes and businesses, causing one critical injury and about a dozen relatively minor injuries. Numerous cars were tossed around, mainly on the east side of Ridgway. A large historic church was completely destroyed. Hundreds of large trees were snapped or uprooted, along with many power lines down. A half dozen grain bins were destroyed. The tornado lifted about 4 miles east-northeast of Ridgway. The average path width was 275 yards. Peak winds were estimated near 180 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
4,819
Population (ACS)
$83K
Median home value
11
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 7, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 2, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Mar 2, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Shawneetown 347
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Gallatin County, Illinois?
239 events are on record between 1963 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $7.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Gallatin County?
Flood, with 95 recorded events — 39.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Gallatin County?
14 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Gallatin County?
11 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Gallatin County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Gallatin County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Gallatin County as very low risk, placing it in the 34 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Gallatin 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
- Fulton County 617
- Greene County 193
- Franklin County 435
- Grundy County 345
- Ford County 258
- Hamilton County 179
Cite this page
“Gallatin County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/gallatin-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.