1,384
Recorded events
11
Direct deaths
96
Direct injuries
$17.2M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Cook County, Illinois: 1,384 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 130. That places the county #2 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Cook County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Cook County is the 2020s, when 581 of the county's 1,384 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 Cook County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 52.6% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #2 for this hazard and #1 within Illinois, putting it in the 100.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Cook County with 405 recorded events, while Jan 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 5, 1991 | 0 | 2 | 2 | $0 | |
| Oct 13, 2001 | NILES | 50 | 1 | 6 | $5K |
| Jun 29, 1990 | 130 | 1 | 6 | $0 | |
| Jun 18, 2010 | MC COOK | 65 | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Sep 5, 2014 | NORTH NORTHFIELD | 55 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2011 | BRIGHTON PARK | 55 | 1 | 0 | $4K |
| Aug 23, 2007 | CHICAGO | 64 | 1 | 0 | $100K |
| May 18, 2000 | ARLINGTON HGTS | 73 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 2026 | INDIAN HEAD PARK | 56 | $0 |
| Apr 17, 2026 | NORTHERLY ISLAND | 54 | $0 |
| Apr 17, 2026 | ROLLING MEADOWS | 52 | $0 |
| Apr 14, 2026 | ALBANY PARK | 55 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2026 | INDIAN HEAD PARK | 52 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2026 | BRONZEVILLE | 56 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2026 | BURBANK | 61 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2026 | UKRAINIAN VILLAGE | 56 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2026 | (MDW) CHICAGO MIDWAY AIRPORT | 60 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2026 | GARFIELD PARK | 56 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Cook County
- Hail 639
- Flood 209
- Flash Flood 191
- Tornado 85
- Heavy Rain 61
- Lightning 57
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A line of thunderstorms moved east across the City of Chicago producing winds in excess of 60 mph. The City of Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation received thousdands of reports of trees and limbs blown down, and light poles blown down across the city. The worst of the storm of the damage occurred on the south side of the city. A man and a woman were injured by falling tree limbs on the south side of Chicago. A 21 year old woman was struck by a falling tree limb in the Beverly area. She was in the hospital for five weeks before succumbing to her injuries on July 23rd.
A downburst caused extensive damage from 79th Street about 300 yards west of Harlem to just north of 77th and Harlem. Several evergreen trees were uprooted and tree limbs were downed. A few garages collapsed or had roofs torn off. A large section of an apartment roof was torn off and debris damaged other nearby apartments and other buildings. About 40 cars were damaged by flying debris. Two police officers were injured by flying glass. About 1/2 mile further northeast the roof was damaged at a FedEx facility.
Many trees were blown down with some snapped at their base. Based on radar and damage photos, it appears a microburst occurred with wind speeds estimated between 70 mph and 90 mph. A 48 multi unit building complex suffered significant wind damage.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Cook County, Illinois?
1,384 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Cook County between 1955 and 2026, causing 11 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Cook County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Cook County measured 130.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Cook 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 Cook County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/cook-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.