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Mason County, Illinois severe weather history spans 268 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,982 nationally and #70 in Illinois.
268
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
35
Direct injuries
$13.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Mason County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Mason County, Illinois severe weather history averages 3.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 70 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 41 events fall before 1990 and 227 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Mason County, Illinois record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $6.4M 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 Mason County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 148 | 0 | $1.5M | 70 | 1964–2026 |
| Hail | 55 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1966–2026 |
| Tornado | 42 | 1 | $6.4M | F3 | 1951–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 18 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2023 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $5.0M | 0 | 2013–2017 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $155K | 0 | 2008–2015 |
Decade by decade
Mason County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
37 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 34 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-01-24 | EF3 | 1 | 3 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-13 | EF3 | 0 | 25 | 25.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-05-15 | EF3 | 0 | 25 | 12.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-04-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-04-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-11-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 18.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1951-11-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 47.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Mason County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 1967 | Tornado | 1 | 3 | $25K | |
| May 15, 1968 | Tornado | 0 | 25 | $2.5M | |
| Dec 4, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Apr 15, 2011 | Tornado | POPLAR CITY | 0 | 1 | $300K |
| May 11, 2003 | Tornado | MANITO | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | Tornado | BATH | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jan 24, 1967 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Dec 18, 1957 | 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
Hundreds of cabins and sheds in wildlife areas along the Illinois River were severely damaged. In addition, 25 homes and several other structures were damaged near Bath, Snicarte, Havana and Goofy Ridge. Nearly 15 miles of roads will need to be rebuilt due to the flooding. The river stage at Havana climbed to a record level of 27.78 feet on April 25th at 19:15 local time, which was nearly 14 feet above flood stage. High impact flooding continued into the month of May 2013.
A tornado touched down in a field about 6.5 miles west-southwest of Easton at 530 PM CDT. It knocked over an irrigation unit and damaged an outbuilding before traveling north and damaging several sheds, breaking windows, tearing roofing and siding off a house, and pushing a house a few inches off its foundation. One person was injured by flying glass. The tornado then damaged another outbuilding and several trees before dissipating 7 miles west-northwest of Easton at 538 PM CDT.
As a bow echo moved east across Mason County, numerous trees were blown down. Some of the trees caused minor structural damage. Also, a roof was lifted off of a house and an old drive-in movie screen was blown over. Five miles west of Manito, several power lines and trees were blown down in the Woodland Estates Subdivision. Several homes sustained minor damage from the fallen trees. A 60 mph wind gust was reported in Bath. Damage in Mason County due to the thunderstorm winds was estimated around $200,000.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
12,745
Population (ACS)
$103K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Mason County, Illinois?
268 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $13.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Mason County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 148 recorded events — 55.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Mason County?
37 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 34 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Mason County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Mason County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Mason County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Mason County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 43 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Mason 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
- Marshall County 258
- Massac County 300
- Marion County 375
- Menard County 258
- Madison County 839
- Mercer County 341
Cite this page
“Mason County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/mason-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.