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Lee County, Illinois severe weather history spans 389 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,299 nationally and #44 in Illinois.
389
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
15
Direct injuries
$3.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Lee County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lee County, Illinois severe weather history averages 5.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 110 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 59 events fall before 1990 and 330 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $3.0M 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 Lee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 200 | 0 | $292K | 87 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 115 | 0 | $0 | 4 | 1958–2026 |
| Tornado | 38 | 0 | $3.0M | F2 | 1956–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 18 | 0 | $12K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2024 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2003–2006 |
Decade by decade
Lee 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: 35 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-04-09 | EF4 | 2 | 11 | 30.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1951-12-06 | EF3 | 1 | 1 | 21.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1972-04-06 | EF2 | 1 | 9 | 17.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-03-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-22 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 7.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-07-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-04-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1962-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1958-08-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 74.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 23, 2015 | Tornado | MAYTOWN | 0 | 7 | $1.0M |
| Apr 7, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $250K | |
| Jun 12, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 1 | $55K |
| May 15, 1986 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Very significant tree damage occurred with many large trees snapped or uprooted in Woodhaven Lakes Camping Resort. At least one house was pushed off of its foundation. Several trees fell onto recreational vehicles and it was estimated that around 100 of the 300 homes in the area received some degree of damage. One person was taken to the hospital in serious condition, and six others were injured. Peak winds were estimated to be 130 mph. (Tornado 3 of 10).
This is the beginning of the Rochelle-Fairdale EF-4 tornado. At its strongest, peak winds were estimated to be 200 mph. The tornado touched down just northeast of Franklin Grove. A large sheet metal building on IL-38 collapsed with failure of column anchorage. Several smaller sheet metal buildings were destroyed along E Gurler Road. Peak winds in Lee County were estimated to 110 mph. The tornado continued into Ogle County. (Tornado 2a of 7).
Winds were estimated in excess of 80 mph and upwards of 100 mph for a 13 mile swath. A large outbuilding bolted to its foundation was destroyed. One part of the barn wall was lifted taking a portion of the foundation with it. Numerous large trees were snapped or uprooted, including one that fell onto the front portion of a house. In Walton, four large grain storage bins were destroyed. Also in Walton, a metal outbuilding was destroyed with debris thrown over 200 yards. Shingle damage was also noted on a few homes.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
33,869
Population (ACS)
$155K
Median home value
10
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 |
| Mar 17, 2011 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Dec 29, 2006 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lee County, Illinois?
389 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $3.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lee County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 200 recorded events — 51.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lee County?
42 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 35 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lee County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lee County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 54 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lee 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
- Lawrence County 280
- Livingston County 418
- LaSalle County 753
- Logan County 551
- Lake County 641
- McDonough County 592
Cite this page
“Lee County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/lee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.