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Kankakee County, Illinois severe weather history spans 562 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 50.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #686 nationally and #22 in Illinois.
562
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
92
Direct injuries
$40.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Kankakee County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Kankakee County, Illinois severe weather history averages 7.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 161 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 58 events fall before 1990 and 504 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Kankakee County, Illinois record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $34.3M 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 Kankakee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 282 | 1 | $2.2M | 80 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 138 | 0 | $2.0M | 6.6 | 1960–2026 |
| Tornado | 69 | 3 | $34.3M | F4 | 1950–2026 |
| Flood | 29 | 0 | $1.6M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 24 | 0 | $250K | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2025 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | $596K | 0 | 2000–2013 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2025 |
Decade by decade
Kankakee County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
61 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 54 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-04-17 | EF4 | 1 | 70 | 57.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-12 | EF3 | 1 | 15 | 38.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1954-04-07 | EF3 | 1 | 13 | 42.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-06-05 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 7.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-04-02 | EF3 | 0 | 15 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-04-23 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 51.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2014-06-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-04-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Kankakee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 1963 | Tornado | 1 | 50 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 7, 1954 | Tornado | 1 | 13 | $250K | |
| Mar 10, 2026 | Tornado | (IKK) GREATER KANKAKEE AIRPORT | 1 | 9 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Apr 3, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 15 | $25.0M | |
| Aug 23, 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | BOURBONNAIS | 0 | 3 | $500K |
| Oct 3, 2013 | Lightning | KANKAKEE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 6, 2010 | Tornado | AROMA PARK | 0 | 1 | $600K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Hail to the size of tennis balls was reported covering the ground near Main Street and Route 50. School roofs were damaged including heating and cooling units. Two school greenhouses were also damaged. Windows were also broken on some houses and businesses.
Numerous roads in Kankakee County were flooded and several roads were closed. Storm total rainfall amounts included 5.73 inches in St. Anne and 3.39 inches in Kankakee. Approximately 110 homes throughout the county were affected by flood waters.
This strong tornado touched down slightly north of the intersection between E. 10500N Rd and N. 14000E Rd. The tornado torqued a house on its foundation beyond repair and damaged a small church. There were also numerous barns and outbuildings destroyed and severe damage to several large trees. The tornado dissipated near N. 17500E Rd. Maximum winds were estimated to 115 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
106,635
Population (ACS)
$193K
Median home value
7
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Apr 23, 2004 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Jan 17, 2001 | Snowstorm | ILLINOIS WINTER SNOW STORMS | EM |
| Jan 8, 1999 | Snowstorm | IL-WINTER STORM 1/1/99 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Kankakee County, Illinois?
562 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $40.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Kankakee County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 282 recorded events — 50.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Kankakee County?
61 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 54 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Kankakee County?
7 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Kankakee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Kankakee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Kankakee County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 88 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Kankakee 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
- Kane County 907
- Kendall County 365
- Johnson County 236
- Knox County 393
- Jo Daviess County 444
- Lake County 641
Cite this page
“Kankakee County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/kankakee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.