79
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$1.3M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Alexander County, Illinois: 79 recorded events between 1965 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 100. That places the county #2,471 nationally and #92 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Alexander County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Alexander County is the 2000s, when 25 of the county's 79 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Alexander County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 23.5% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #2,471 for this hazard and #92 within Illinois, putting it in the 21.7 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Alexander County with 15 recorded events, while Dec is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 1999 | WILLARD | 70 | 0 | 1 | $75K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30, 2025 | SANDUSKY | 61 | $10K |
| Mar 30, 2025 | CLANK | 78 | $2K |
| Apr 18, 2024 | CAIRO ARPT | 56 | $2K |
| Apr 2, 2024 | CAIRO ARPT | 50 | $1K |
| May 9, 2023 | TAMMS | 61 | $0 |
| Jul 21, 2022 | ELCO | 52 | $3K |
| Oct 25, 2021 | THEBES | 56 | $4K |
| Apr 28, 2021 | OLIVE BRANCH | 52 | $5K |
| Jul 22, 2019 | CAIRO ARPT | 51 | $0 |
| May 29, 2019 | CAIRO | 52 | $8K |
Other hazards here
More from Alexander County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A short-lived but very intense thunderstorm microburst caused about a half million dollars damage in the center of Cairo. The affected area, which was 5 city blocks wide and about a mile long, was primarily residential. A total of 52 buildings were damaged or destroyed. Of these 52, eight were businesses, seven were outbuildings or garages, and the rest were houses. Five of the residences were moved off their foundation and considered total losses. In another 25 buildings, windows were blown out and roofs were damaged. For the remaining structures, the damage was relatively minor, consisting of porch damage or gutters blown off. Initial reports indicated there were some minor injuries, however, later investigation revealed no injuries.
A survey of the damage indicated a microburst with peak winds to 85 MPH occurred. On the south side of town, 20 to 30 trees and power lines were down. Several homes received major roof damage. A tree fell on a mobile home, and a garage was blown off its foundation. A front porch was damaged. A roof was partially blown off a metal building. One small storage shed was destroyed, and another shed was blown off its foundation. The damage path was divergent from west to east. The damage path was about 750 yards wide and 600 yards long.
A microburst containing estimated winds near 85 mph moved across the Mississippi River into East Cape Girardeau. The damage was almost entirely on the south side of Route 146. Shingles and siding were blown off several homes. The roof decking was damaged on a couple of homes. Dozens of trees or tree limbs were blown down.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Alexander County, Illinois?
79 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Alexander County between 1965 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Alexander County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Alexander County measured 100.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Alexander County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Alexander County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/alexander-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.