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Saline County, Illinois severe weather history spans 318 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,678 nationally and #59 in Illinois.
318
Recorded events
9
Direct deaths
102
Direct injuries
$36.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Saline County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Saline County, Illinois severe weather history averages 4.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 109 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 21 events fall before 1990 and 297 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Saline County, Illinois record is tornado, responsible for 8 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $17.0M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Saline County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 143 | 0 | $8.0M | 87 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 78 | 0 | $130K | 3.5 | 1984–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 42 | 0 | $4.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 18 | 1 | $17.0M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Tornado | 17 | 8 | $7.2M | F2 | 1957–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 15 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2015 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2012 |
Decade by decade
Saline County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
20 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-02-29 | EF4 | 8 | 108 | 26.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-01-29 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-04-28 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 7.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-01-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-03-06 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-12-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Saline County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 29, 2012 | Tornado | CARRIERS MILLS | 8 | 95 | $2.0M |
| May 1, 2017 | Flood | PANKEYVILLE | 1 | 0 | $30K |
| Apr 28, 2002 | Tornado | GALATIA | 0 | 3 | $3.5M |
| Apr 2, 2024 | Tornado | GRAYSON | 0 | 2 | $225K |
| Mar 6, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The middle fork of the Saline River remained flooded for much of the month. An elderly man drowned after driving around barricades to a bridge over the river. The man's truck was washed off the road in the area of the bridge. The incident occurred on a county road southeast of Harrisburg.
The tornado struck Galatia directly, damaging about 55 structures and destroying several. Peak winds were estimated between 120 and 130 MPH. The roof of a car wash was blown off, and then the walls collapsed on a police cruiser that was sheltered there. A coal mine sustained a quarter million dollars in damage. Two persons were injured in an overturned trailer. Two brick homes lost their roofs and some walls.
Significant flash flooding occurred in Eldorado. Ferrell Hospital sustained floodwater damage with 55,000 sq ft of the hospital affected, requiring transfer of patients to other facilities. Flooding on roads leading to the hospital hindered emergency crews. Several streets around the city flooded, and water intruded into the Eldorado High School entrance. Torrential rainfall rates produced radar estimated 1.5-2 inches of rain in Eldorado, with most of the rain occurring between 1515-1615CST. Flash flooding transitioned to a flood event through the evening.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
23,213
Population (ACS)
$94K
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 |
| Jun 7, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 2, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Mar 2, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Harrisburg 145
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Saline County, Illinois?
318 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 9 direct deaths and $36.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Saline County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 143 recorded events — 45.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Saline County?
20 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Saline County?
9 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Saline County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Saline County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Saline County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 70 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Saline 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
- St. Clair County 895
- Sangamon County 943
- Rock Island County 629
- Schuyler County 212
- Richland County 212
- Scott County 167
Cite this page
“Saline County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/saline-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.