Live
Active alerts for this county
Extreme Heat Warning
Jefferson; Wayne; Edwards; Wabash; Perry; Franklin; Hamilton; White; Jackson; Williamson; Saline; Gallatin; Union; Johnson; Pope; Hardin; Alexander; Pulaski; Massac; Gibson; Pike; Posey; Vanderburgh; Warrick; Spencer; Fulton; Hickman; Carlisle; Ballard; McCracken; Graves; Livingston; Marshall; Calloway; Crittenden; Lyon; Trigg; Caldwell; Union; Webster; Hopkins; Christian; Henderson; Daviess; McLean; Muhlenberg; Todd; Perry; Bollinger; Cape Girardeau; Wayne; Carter; Ripley; Butler; Stoddard; Scott; Mississippi; New Madrid
Jefferson County, Illinois severe weather history spans 335 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 40.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,579 nationally and #56 in Illinois.
335
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
64
Direct injuries
$29.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Jefferson County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jefferson County, Illinois severe weather history averages 4.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 115 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 37 events fall before 1990 and 298 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Jefferson County, Illinois record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $14.7M 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 Jefferson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 137 | 1 | $14.7M | 83 | 1960–2024 |
| Hail | 91 | 0 | $65K | 3.5 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 33 | 0 | $470K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 31 | 3 | $13.7M | F4 | 1957–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 21 | 0 | $52K | 0 | 2004–2015 |
| Flood | 12 | 3 | $133K | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2013 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 1996–2011 |
Decade by decade
Jefferson County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
34 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 29 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 | 1 | 45 | 16.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-04-21 | EF3 | 1 | 42 | 31.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-04-19 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 17.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-03-23 | EF2 | 1 | 2 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-03-30 | EF2 | 1 | 3 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-03-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 112.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1960-02-09 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 24.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-12-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jefferson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 18, 2008 | Flood | DIX | 2 | 0 | $58K |
| Dec 18, 1957 | Tornado | 1 | 45 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 31, 1982 | Tornado | 1 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 23, 2012 | Tornado | SHIRLEY | 1 | 2 | $150K |
| Jul 16, 2021 | Flood | MT VERNON | 1 | 0 | $30K |
| May 10, 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | MT VERNON | 1 | 0 | $45K |
| Jul 21, 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 5 | $13.0M |
| May 8, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Two persons died after their truck stalled in floodwater on a secondary road near Waltonville. The three occupants of the truck climbed on top of it. One of the victims dropped her purse in the water and dove after it. Two other occupants of the truck dove in to rescue her. One of the rescuers swam to safety, but the other two persons were found submerged in debris about 1,000 yards from the truck. Numerous roads were closed around the county. Schools were closed. Illinois Route 148 was closed at the Big Muddy River bridge as water rose several feet over the bridge. Route 37 was closed south of Mount Vernon. One family in Mount Vernon was displaced when the basement walls caved in. At least fifty basements were flooded in the city.
A tied down double wide mobile home was destroyed. A elderly lady was killed and a teenage boy was injured when the mobile home was lofted by the tornado and carried approximately 100 yards to the northeast, with the mobile home undercarriage carried approximately 200 yards. One home had windows blown out on the second story. One barn was heavily damaged with 2 others receiving moderate damage. Several trees were blown down or snapped. Peak winds were estimated near 130 mph.
Numerous tree limbs and power lines were blown down, along with a couple of large trees. A large tree limb blew across two mobile homes, killing a 72-year-old man who was in the mobile home closest to the tree. The man died from blunt-force trauma caused by the tree limb, which was about 20 inches in diameter. His mobile home was destroyed. The second mobile home received only minor damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
36,550
Population (ACS)
$126K
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 |
| Jun 7, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | 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
- Mt Vernon 145
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jefferson County, Illinois?
335 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 7 direct deaths and $29.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jefferson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 137 recorded events — 40.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jefferson County?
34 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 29 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Jefferson County?
5 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jefferson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jefferson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jefferson County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 77 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jefferson 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
- Jasper County 231
- Jersey County 252
- Jackson County 578
- Jo Daviess County 444
- Iroquois County 433
- Johnson County 236
Cite this page
“Jefferson County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/jefferson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.