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Crawford County, Illinois severe weather history spans 281 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,889 nationally and #67 in Illinois.
281
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$6.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Crawford County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Crawford County, Illinois severe weather history averages 4.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 87 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 31 events fall before 1990 and 250 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Crawford County, Illinois record is flash flood, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $2.4M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Crawford County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 137 | 0 | $2.4M | 78 | 1961–2026 |
| Hail | 69 | 0 | $1K | 3 | 1977–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 43 | 3 | $2.0M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 23 | 3 | $2.1M | F2 | 1959–2026 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $300K | 0 | 2008–2021 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Crawford County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
19 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-03-31 | EF3 | 6 | 16 | 40.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-05-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-07-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-04-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1989-05-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Crawford County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 2023 | Tornado | PIERCEBURG | 3 | 8 | $0 |
| Aug 7, 2000 | Flash Flood | ROBINSON | 3 | 0 | $1.0M |
| Feb 19, 2026 | Tornado | HARDINVILLE | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| Sep 10, 2000 | Flash Flood | ROBINSON | 0 | 1 | $1.0M |
| Mar 16, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| May 31, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A cluster of thunderstorms persisted over mainly the far northern parts of the county into the overnight hours. Radar estimates indicated from 4 to over 5 inches of rain falling over a period of less than 6 hours. This resulted in flash flooding occurring in the far northwestern part of the county. A culvert went over its banks, resulting in an 80 foot long, 25 foot deep section of secondary roadway being washed away during the overnight hours. During the early morning hours, a female driver, unaware of the washout, drove off the roadway, into the hole. Shortly thereafter, a truck with two occupants went off the roadway as well. The truck stuck the car's gas tank, resulting in a fire. All three occupants were killed. A rail road bridge, 60 feet long, was also washed out completely in the area.
A tornado touched down about 3 miles south of Robinson, and tracked to the northeast. Fourteen homes sustained damage, with three homes losing most of their roof and one home being pushed three feet off its foundation. In addition, numerous outbuildings and garages were destroyed, numerous trees and power poles were blown down, and a large camper was rolled over.
A swath of severe straight-line winds impacted the north side of Robinson. The damage swath started near the 1800 block of N. Argus St., and continued east-southeast, before ending near the 1300 block of N. Jackson St. These winds caused tree and roofing damage along the path, with the most significant damage noted toward the end of the swath. The high school and nursing home were among the structures damaged. One home and garage were destroyed by falling trees. A wind sensor at the high school measured a 65 knot wind gust. A 56 knot wind gust was measured 6 miles east of Robinson, but no significant damage was noted.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
18,511
Population (ACS)
$121K
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 |
| May 10, 2013 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 17, 2011 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Jun 24, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Crawford County, Illinois?
281 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths and $6.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Crawford County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 137 recorded events — 48.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Crawford County?
19 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 15 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Crawford County?
9 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Crawford County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Crawford County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Crawford County as very low risk, placing it in the 37 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Crawford 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
- Cook County 2,633
- Cumberland County 180
- Coles County 418
- DeKalb County 485
- Clinton County 354
- De Witt County 259
Cite this page
“Crawford County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/crawford-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.