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McDonough County, Illinois severe weather history spans 592 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 43.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #610 nationally and #20 in Illinois.
592
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$4.8M
Property damage
The record
What the McDonough County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, McDonough County, Illinois severe weather history averages 8.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 189 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 67 events fall before 1990 and 525 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $2.0M 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 McDonough County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 255 | 0 | $793K | 95 | 1969–2026 |
| Hail | 196 | 0 | $87K | 4 | 1973–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 45 | 0 | $391K | 2.5 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 43 | 0 | $2.0M | F3 | 1957–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 25 | 0 | $207K | 3 | 2003–2013 |
| Flood | 20 | 0 | $1.3M | 0 | 1999–2022 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $4K | 0 | 2001–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2006 |
Decade by decade
McDonough County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
46 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 42 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-04-21 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 14.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-05-14 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 127.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-05-21 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 13.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-03-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 69.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-04-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-03-12 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-13 | EF2 | 0 | 10 | 19.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1959-09-27 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 9.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in McDonough County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 13, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | MACOMB | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Mar 13, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| Sep 28, 1959 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rains during the third week of June resulted in the La Moine River at Colmar going above the moderate flood stage level of 22 feet on June 22 around 12 pm. It crested around 22.8 feet around 7 am June 24. It fell below the moderate flood stage level around 1 am June 26.
Heavy rains during the second week of June resulted in the La Moine River at Colmar going above the moderate flood stage level of 22 feet on June 14 around 12 pm. It crested around 22.9 feet around 7 pm June 14. It fell below the moderate flood stage level around 9 am June 17.
Heavy rains during the second week of May resulted in the La Moine River at Colmar going above the moderate flood stage level of 22 feet on May 13 around 10 pm. It crested around 23.4 feet around 1 am May 15. It fell below the moderate flood stage level around 3 pm May 16.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
26,920
Population (ACS)
$108K
Median home value
11
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| May 10, 2013 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 17, 2011 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Dec 29, 2006 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Macomb 172
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in McDonough County, Illinois?
592 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $4.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in McDonough County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 255 recorded events — 43.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed McDonough County?
46 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 42 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover McDonough County?
11 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include McDonough County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is McDonough County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates McDonough County as very low risk, placing it in the 38 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the McDonough 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
- Logan County 551
- McHenry County 654
- Livingston County 418
- McLean County 760
- Lee County 389
- Macon County 562
Cite this page
“McDonough County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/mcdonough-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.