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Morgan County, Illinois severe weather history spans 371 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 46.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,382 nationally and #49 in Illinois.
371
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
13
Direct injuries
$158.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Morgan County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Morgan County, Illinois severe weather history averages 5.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 101 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 72 events fall before 1990 and 299 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Morgan County, Illinois record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $150.4M in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Morgan County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 171 | 0 | $2.3M | 78 | 1955–2025 |
| Hail | 117 | 0 | $0 | 4 | 1963–2025 |
| Tornado | 41 | 0 | $5.8M | F3 | 1957–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 32 | 1 | $150.4M | 0 | 2001–2022 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2020 |
Decade by decade
Morgan County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
44 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 34 touched down inside it and 10 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961-04-24 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 64.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-06-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-08-19 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 19.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-03-12 | EF2 | 0 | 20 | 67.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-05-24 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-12-04 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-06-23 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 34.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-06-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 42.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-06-14 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Morgan County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20, 2009 | Flash Flood | JACKSONVILLE ARPT | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 14, 1957 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Jun 18, 2025 | Tornado | ALEXANDER NEGUS ARPT | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 31, 2012 | Tornado | FRANKLIN | 0 | 1 | $230K |
| Mar 13, 2006 | Tornado | MURRAYVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 25, 2004 | Tornado | JACKSONVILLE | 0 | 1 | $4.0M |
| May 9, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | MURRAYVILLE | 0 | 1 | $30K |
| Feb 11, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | LYNNVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Rainfall amounts of 4.50 to 5.00 inches were reported within two hours in a 15 mile wide band across western and central Morgan County. Numerous streets in the city of Jacksonville were flooded. Near the town of Woodson, a man drowned while he was trying to clear debris from an intake valve and culvert near a flooded pond.
A small tornado touched down in the southwest section of Jacksonville near the point where Route 67 turns north. As it traveled to the northeast it quickly intensified to F2 strength destroying a furniture store, house and church and caused major damage to a motel. One occupant of the motel sustained minor injuries. The tornado then quickly weakened causing minor damage to several more homes and businesses before lifting and dissipating.
Thunderstorm winds caused a large swath of damage across town. Numerous trees, tree limbs and power lines were blown down. Also, several homes sustained minor roof damage. The county courthouse also sustained roof damage. No injuries were reported.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
33,021
Population (ACS)
$131K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Dec 13, 2021 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | EM |
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 19, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 10, 2013 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Jacksonville 104
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Morgan County, Illinois?
371 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $158.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Morgan County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 171 recorded events — 46.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Morgan County?
44 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 Morgan County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Morgan County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Morgan County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Morgan County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 71 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Morgan 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
- Montgomery County 417
- Moultrie County 192
- Monroe County 315
- Ogle County 449
- Mercer County 341
- Peoria County 712
Cite this page
“Morgan County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/morgan-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.