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Jersey County, Illinois severe weather history spans 252 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,090 nationally and #78 in Illinois.
252
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$5.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Jersey County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jersey County, Illinois severe weather history averages 3.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 101 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 43 events fall before 1990 and 209 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Jersey County, Illinois record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.6M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Jersey County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 115 | 0 | $19K | 78 | 1955–2025 |
| Hail | 85 | 0 | $0 | 2.5 | 1959–2026 |
| Tornado | 21 | 1 | $5.6M | F2 | 1961–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 18 | 2 | $146K | 0 | 2000–2026 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $14K | 0 | 2007–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2005 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $150K | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Jersey County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
23 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 21 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-03-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-01 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-01 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-09-24 | EF1 | 1 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-04-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-11-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-11-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-06-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-12-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-03-06 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 117.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jersey County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 27, 2015 | Flash Flood | GRAFTON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 8, 2003 | Flash Flood | FIELDON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 24, 1961 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $25K | |
| May 1, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M | |
| May 1, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Up to four inches of rain fell causing flash flooding. Numerous roads were flooded. In Grafton, a 42 year old woman was walking home, possibly intoxicated. She was last seen on North Cedar Street at about 11 pm on December 26th, 2015. Authorities suspected she tried to cross a flooded roadway near a creek and was swept out to the Mississippi River and drowned. Her body was finally located March 10th, 2016 about 6 miles downstream. Cause of death was accidental drowning.
The Illinois River along the border of Jersey County remained at major flood levels in early May, dropped below major levels for a while, then rose to major levels again at the end of May. Damage was limited to some closed roads and flooded farmland.
The Mississippi River at Grafton, IL remained at it's highest levels between the morning of June 2nd and the morning of June 12th. In Grafton, a number of homes and businesses on the west side of Illinois Route 100 were flooded during this event.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
21,274
Population (ACS)
$172K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 13, 2021 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | EM |
| 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 24, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Feb 9, 2007 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jersey County, Illinois?
252 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $5.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jersey County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 115 recorded events — 45.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jersey County?
23 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 21 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Jersey County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jersey County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jersey County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jersey County as very low risk, placing it in the 19 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jersey 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
- Jefferson County 335
- Jo Daviess County 444
- Jasper County 231
- Johnson County 236
- Jackson County 578
- Kane County 907
Cite this page
“Jersey County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/jersey-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.