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Piatt County, Illinois severe weather history spans 236 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,206 nationally and #81 in Illinois.
236
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$11.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Piatt County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Piatt County, Illinois severe weather history averages 3.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 83 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 31 events fall before 1990 and 205 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Piatt County, Illinois record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $7.1M 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 Piatt County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 121 | 0 | $2.5M | 70 | 1961–2026 |
| Hail | 57 | 0 | $255K | 4 | 1972–2025 |
| Tornado | 34 | 1 | $7.1M | F4 | 1959–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 20 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2024 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $60K | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
Piatt County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
39 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 31 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-03-20 | EF4 | 0 | 18 | 63.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1963-04-22 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 31.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-12-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 23.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-10-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-06-04 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 56.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1959-05-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-04-08 | EF1 | 1 | 3 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Piatt County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 1999 | Tornado | CISCO | 1 | 3 | $150K |
| Mar 20, 1976 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 13, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | MANSFIELD | 0 | 1 | $800K |
| Apr 20, 1996 | Tornado | MONTICELLO | 0 | 1 | $1.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado formed and touched down destroying a double wide trailer 3 miles north of Cisco. Four people were initially injured, though one died the next day. A barn and two garages nearby were destroyed. Further to the northeast, the tornado destroyed a barn. Five miles north northeast of Cisco, the top story of a two story barn was removed. After this, the tornado lifted and dissipated. Damage to the mobile home was estimated around $150,000.
Periods of thunderstorms with heavy rainfall produced rain rates of 1 to 2.5 inches for at least two hours from 0630-0830 LST in northern Piatt County. The highest rain totals ranged between 5.00 to 7.00 inches along and north of U.S. Highway 150, including the city of Mansfield and the village of Blue Ridge. Nearly all rural roads in northern Piatt County were flooded with at least a foot of water. County Road 2 from Mansfield to Blue Ridge sustained damage from the flooding. A five mile stretch of U.S. Highway 150 through Mansfield was closed due to flooding. Parts of Interstate 74 from milepost 164 to 168 were impassable. Many homes in Mansfield also had significant basement flooding.
Numerous trees, tree limbs and power lines were blown down. Several fallen trees landed on homes causing minor to moderate damage. A grain elevator sustained minor damage. Also, a semi was blown over on I-74 near Mansfield. The driver sustained minor injuries.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
16,695
Population (ACS)
$181K
Median home value
9
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Feb 9, 2007 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| May 21, 2002 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 8, 1999 | Snowstorm | IL-WINTER STORM 1/1/99 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Piatt County, Illinois?
236 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $11.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Piatt County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 121 recorded events — 51.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Piatt County?
39 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 31 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Piatt County?
9 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Piatt County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Piatt County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Piatt County as very low risk, placing it in the 35 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Piatt 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
- Perry County 312
- Pike County 321
- Peoria County 712
- Pope County 173
- Ogle County 449
- Pulaski County 242
Cite this page
“Piatt County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/piatt-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.