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Jackson County, Illinois severe weather history spans 578 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 40.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #642 nationally and #21 in Illinois.
578
Recorded events
13
Direct deaths
220
Direct injuries
$121.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Jackson County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jackson County, Illinois severe weather history averages 7.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 184 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 113 events fall before 1990 and 465 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Jackson County, Illinois record is tornado, responsible for 11 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $104.1M 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 Jackson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 233 | 1 | $104.1M | 100 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 148 | 0 | $1.3M | 3 | 1963–2025 |
| Flood | 89 | 0 | $4.0M | 0 | 2002–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 44 | 0 | $874K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 39 | 11 | $11.2M | F4 | 1951–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 12 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 2003–2015 |
| Funnel Cloud | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Lightning | 3 | 1 | $10K | 0 | 2000–2010 |
Decade by decade
Jackson County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
42 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 37 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-12-18 | EF4 | 11 | 200 | 28.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-02-28 | EF4 | 1 | 12 | 53.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-09-22 | EF4 | 0 | 6 | 27.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1958-04-05 | EF3 | 0 | 11 | 20.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-05-21 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 8.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-02-29 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 31.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-03-25 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-06-01 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-03-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 112.1 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jackson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 18, 1957 | Tornado | 11 | 180 | $2.5M | |
| May 8, 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | NEUNERT | 1 | 6 | $100.0M |
| Mar 29, 2007 | Lightning | CARBONDALE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 13, 1951 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $250K | |
| Apr 5, 1958 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $250K | |
| Jun 1, 1970 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $25K | |
| Apr 5, 1958 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Dec 18, 1957 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An 18-year-old high school student was struck and killed by lightning at a track meet. The lightning strike occurred on the school's campus just before the start of the track meet. Witnesses stated there was little rain, thunder, or lightning prior to the fatal strike. The student was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.
A large mobile home park east-northeast of Carbondale was flooded due to Crab Orchard Creek. Water was up to the bottom of mobile homes, and vehicles were submerged. Over 100 people were evacuated from the park. A business in Carbondale had two to six feet of water on the first floor. A two-day power outage affecting several buildings at Southern Illinois University was caused by water in manholes. Up to six feet of water was pumped out of a manhole before repairs could start. The small community of Makanda was cut off by flooded roads. A number of roads were closed by flooding, including Route 13, the main east-west artery through the county. At least one water rescue was conducted. About 30 basements were flooded in Murphysboro.
About one-third of the roof was blown off a brand new police station, landing on three nearby homes. The police station suffered water damage, and the nearby homes were heavily damaged. There were numerous trees and power lines blown down in the city. On the Southern Illinois University campus, windows were broken at an academic building, and a tree landed on a residence hall. Carbondale city schools were closed the following day since thousands of utility customers remained without power.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
53,064
Population (ACS)
$137K
Median home value
15
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 19, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 7, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 2, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Murphysboro 187
- Mt Carbon 165
- Carbondale 151
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jackson County, Illinois?
578 events are on record between 1951 and 2025, causing 13 direct deaths and $121.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jackson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 233 recorded events — 40.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jackson County?
42 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 37 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Jackson County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jackson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jackson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jackson County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 87 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jackson 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
- Iroquois County 433
- Jasper County 231
- Henry County 679
- Jefferson County 335
- Henderson County 223
- Jersey County 252
Cite this page
“Jackson County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/jackson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.