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Marion County, Illinois severe weather history spans 375 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 54.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,356 nationally and #46 in Illinois.
375
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
22
Direct injuries
$11.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Marion County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Marion County, Illinois severe weather history averages 5.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 101 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 51 events fall before 1990 and 324 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Marion County, Illinois record is flash flood, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $9.7M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Marion County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 206 | 0 | $891K | 70 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 99 | 0 | $600K | 3.5 | 1958–2025 |
| Tornado | 34 | 2 | $9.7M | F2 | 1959–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 31 | 5 | $127K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2008 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2025 |
Decade by decade
Marion County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
38 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 29 touched down inside it and 9 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 5.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 20.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 39.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 42.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2002-05-09 | EF1 | 2 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 18.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Marion County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 27, 2015 | Flash Flood | VERNON | 5 | 0 | $0 |
| May 9, 2002 | Tornado | CENTRALIA | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 20, 1996 | Tornado | ODIN | 0 | 7 | $7.0M |
| May 5, 1999 | Tornado | KELL | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | JUNCTION CITY | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | CARTTER | 0 | 2 | $150K |
| Apr 2, 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | PATOKA | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 11, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | CENTRALIA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A small but deadly tornado struck the south part of Centralia and devastated the Rosewood and Collinsworth Mobile Home Parks. Forming quickly on the leading edge of a squall line, the tornado hit shortly after 200 am, when most residents were asleep. An Illinois Emergency Management Agency damage assessment listed 12 mobile homes as being destroyed, 1 home destroyed, 1 mobile home with major damage, 1 home with minor damage, and 3 mobile homes with minor damage. 2 people were killed, both in mobile homes.
At 8:11 PM CDT, a tornado touched down to the southwest of Salem, IL, near the intersection of Selmaville Rd and Lowery Ln. There it damaged several trees before moving through a forested area. The tornado then moved through a neighborhood, resulting in more tree damage, roofing and siding damage to a number of homes, and the collapse of a newly built large garage. Next, the tornado intensified as it moved through the southern portion of Salem, IL, damaging several homes, businesses, and numerous trees. This includes significant damage to the roof and walls of a commercial building and a home that was shifted off of its foundation. The tornado continued east of town, moving through a golf course and more wooded areas before approaching U.S. Highway 50 east of Salem. As the tornado crossed the highway, it collapsed a large outbuilding before quickly dissipating. Overall, the tornado was rated EF1 with a max wind speed of 105 mph. The path length was 5.95 miles with a max path width of 250 yards. No deaths or injuries were reported.
The Illinois State Police reported 12-inch diameter tree limbs broken off in Salem. Park officials from Stephen A. Forbes State Park reported hail larger than baseballs fell several minutes later between Omega and Iuka. A total of 10 cars had their windshields and windows either damaged or smashed. Several nearby church windows were also broken and four homes had roof damage. Crops were leveled in a 3 mile long and 0.5 mile wide path.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
37,000
Population (ACS)
$103K
Median home value
8
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 |
| Mar 17, 2011 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| May 21, 2002 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Marion County, Illinois?
375 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 7 direct deaths and $11.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Marion County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 206 recorded events — 54.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Marion County?
38 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 Marion County?
8 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Marion County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Marion County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Marion County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 77 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Marion 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
- Madison County 839
- Marshall County 258
- Macoupin County 527
- Mason County 268
- Macon County 562
- Massac County 300
Cite this page
“Marion County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/marion-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.