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St. Clair County, Illinois severe weather history spans 895 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #215 nationally and #6 in Illinois.
895
Recorded events
14
Direct deaths
154
Direct injuries
$32.2M
Property damage
The record
What the St. Clair County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, St. Clair County, Illinois severe weather history averages 12.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 291 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 161 events fall before 1990 and 734 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the St. Clair County, Illinois record is tornado, responsible for 12 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $12.1M 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 St. Clair County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 457 | 1 | $1.6M | 90 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 319 | 0 | $7K | 3.5 | 1955–2026 |
| Tornado | 56 | 12 | $12.1M | F4 | 1952–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 44 | 0 | $10.1M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $8.3M | 0 | 1998–2019 |
| Lightning | 7 | 1 | $50K | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2008 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2005 |
Decade by decade
St. Clair County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
61 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 49 touched down inside it and 12 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-02-24 | EF4 | 6 | 36 | 77.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1968-05-15 | EF3 | 4 | 60 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-04-05 | EF3 | 1 | 8 | 60.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-11-15 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-01 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-04-02 | EF2 | 1 | 11 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-06-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-06-10 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-11-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in St. Clair County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 25, 1956 | Tornado | 6 | 20 | $2.5M | |
| May 16, 1968 | Tornado | 4 | 60 | $250K | |
| Nov 15, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 20 | $0 | |
| Apr 2, 2006 | Tornado | FAIRVIEW HGTS | 1 | 11 | $0 |
| Apr 5, 1958 | Tornado | 1 | 8 | $250K | |
| Feb 25, 2001 | Lightning | PADERBORN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 2, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 20 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 27, 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | BELLEVILLE | 0 | 3 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Up to 9 inches of rain fell in a 6 to 10 hour period causing widespread flash flooding. The heaviest rain axis extended from East St. Louis southeastward towards Mascoutah. Numerous roads were flooded, including northbound I-55 at I-64, ramps from I-64 to I-255, U.S. Highway 50 between O'Fallon and Lebanon, and Illinois Route 15 near intersection with Frank Scott Parkway. Several water rescues were performed including on Illinois Route 15 at Karch Road, east of Freeburg and on West F Street near North 3rd Street in Belleville. An estimated 600 St. Clair County households were damaged by flash flooding. The St. Clair County Animal Shelter was flooded in Belleville so several dozen dogs and some cats had to be evacuated and placed in other shelters or homes temporarily. Overall, no injuries were reported in St. Clair County.
The Mississippi River at Alton, IL remained at it's highest levels between the evening of June 2nd and the evening of June 12th. There was at least $8.1 million in damage to the infrastructure along the Mississippi River due to the river flooding in St. Clair County.
Thunderstorm wind gusts of 75 to 80 mph hit the RV park at the Casino Queen overturning 6 recreational vehicles. Nine people were injured. Six were treated for minor injuries and released and 3 were kept overnight for observation. One of the RV's was overturned onto a vehicle, destroying both.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
253,694
Population (ACS)
$180K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODNG | DR |
| Oct 14, 2022 | Flood | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 19, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 24, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in St. Clair County, Illinois?
895 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 14 direct deaths and $32.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in St. Clair County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 457 recorded events — 51.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed St. Clair County?
61 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 49 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover St. Clair County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include St. Clair County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is St. Clair County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates St. Clair County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 95 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the St. Clair 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
- Rock Island County 629
- Saline County 318
- Richland County 212
- Sangamon County 943
- Randolph County 426
- Schuyler County 212
Cite this page
“St. Clair County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/st-clair-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.