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Adams County, Illinois severe weather history spans 513 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #830 nationally and #28 in Illinois.
513
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
23
Direct injuries
$4.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Adams County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Adams County, Illinois severe weather history averages 7.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 161 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 80 events fall before 1990 and 433 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $3.5M 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 Adams County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 250 | 0 | $268K | 78 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 191 | 0 | $14K | 4.5 | 1961–2025 |
| Tornado | 36 | 0 | $3.5M | F2 | 1955–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 25 | 0 | $535K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $108K | 0 | 2007–2013 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 2002–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Adams County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
36 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 32 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961-05-14 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 127.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 69.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 30.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 20.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1977-09-23 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 19.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 12 | 15.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-04-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-12-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Adams County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $2.5M | |
| May 10, 2003 | Tornado | MEYER | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Sep 24, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Aug 18, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jun 27, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | COATSBURG | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 14, 1998 | Tornado | QUINCY | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A levee on the Mississippi River near Meyer failed and caused flash flooding in an area from Bear Creek northward toward the Adams/Hancock county line. The flood waters spread as far east as East 500th Street along the bluffs. A couple hours later a second levee break occurred aggravating the flooding situation. A couple dozen homes in Meyer were flooded as well as a couple of businesses. The entire town of 40 to 50 people had evacuated before the levee was breached.
A weak tornado touched down along Hickman Road at 7:04 PM and destroyed an outbuilding with winds estimated as strong as 85 mph. It then moved northeast through Bailey Park and produced roof damage to another outbuilding along E 2400th Street near N 2150th Ave. The tornado continued to move northeast past Golden, IL and produced roof damage to multiple outbuildings along E 2700th Street between N 2500th Ave and N 2600th Ave before dissipating just north of N 2600th Ave at 7:10 PM. The tornado was rated EF-0 with a path length of 8.17 miles and a maximum path width of 100 yards.
The Mississippi River at Quincy crested at 30.80 feet on 6/18/2008. This is the second highest crest ever recorded. A major levee break just north of Meyer likely kept the crest from reaching a record. Several homes and businesses in the Meyer area were flooded. The Quincy, IL riverfront area was flooded closing one restaurant affecting some other businesses. Agricultural losses were estimated at $23.8 million.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
64,754
Population (ACS)
$163K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Aug 19, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Quincy 164
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Adams County, Illinois?
513 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $4.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Adams County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 250 recorded events — 48.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Adams County?
36 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 32 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Adams County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Adams County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Adams County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Adams County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 64 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Adams 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
- Alexander County 336
- Bond County 220
- Boone County 267
- Brown County 145
- Bureau County 487
- Calhoun County 142
Cite this page
“Adams County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/adams-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.