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Scott County, Illinois severe weather history spans 167 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 43.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,621 nationally and #97 in Illinois.
167
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$1.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Scott County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Scott County, Illinois severe weather history averages 2.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 71 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 15 events fall before 1990 and 152 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Scott County, Illinois record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $825K 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 Scott County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 72 | 0 | $429K | 70 | 1980–2025 |
| Hail | 41 | 0 | $145K | 1.75 | 1964–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 31 | 0 | $425K | 0 | 2001–2024 |
| Tornado | 16 | 1 | $825K | F3 | 1955–2025 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2017 |
Decade by decade
Scott County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
16 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961-04-24 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 64.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-03-12 | EF2 | 0 | 20 | 67.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-06-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 42.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1955-08-29 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 11.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-24 | EF1 | 1 | 1 | 7.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-06-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-08-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 15.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-03-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-04-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Scott County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2004 | Tornado | WINCHESTER | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| May 9, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | MANCHESTER | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Apr 25, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Aug 30, 1955 | 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 tornado initially touched down 6 miles west southwest of Winchester then traveled to the northeast causing minor tree damage. Two miles southwest of Winchester it destroyed a mobile home causing 1 fatality. The two occupants of the mobile home were thrown from the home. The husband only sustained minor injuries. As the tornado went through Winchester it weakened in intensity causing minor to moderate damage to the roofs of several homes, destroyed some sheds and blew down numerous trees.
Several rounds of slow moving thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall amounts of 3.00 to 7.00 inches of rain in Scott County during the early morning of July 19th. This area was already saturated from flooding which occurred one week prior. Thus, flash flooding quickly developed which flooded most rural roads in the county. In addition, roads were washed out and mudslides were reported from Winchester through Naples to Bluffs.
As the tornado crossed the Illinois River from Pike County into Scott County, it caused extensive damage to a residence next to a pump house located near the river, 5 miles southwest of Oxville. The windows on the west side of the house were blown out and the east wall was blown out as well. Shortly after hitting the home the tornado lifted and dissipated. No injuries were reported and the damage was estimated around $150,000.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
4,937
Population (ACS)
$96K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS 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 |
| May 10, 2013 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 17, 2011 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Scott County, Illinois?
167 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $1.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Scott County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 72 recorded events — 43.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Scott County?
16 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Scott County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Scott County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Scott County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Scott County as very low risk, placing it in the 3 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Scott 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
- Schuyler County 212
- Shelby County 312
- Sangamon County 943
- Stark County 166
- Saline County 318
- Stephenson County 518
Cite this page
“Scott County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/scott-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.