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De Witt County, Illinois severe weather history spans 259 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 57.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,050 nationally and #74 in Illinois.
259
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
58
Direct injuries
$22.1M
Property damage
The record
What the De Witt County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, De Witt County, Illinois severe weather history averages 3.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 92 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 33 events fall before 1990 and 226 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the De Witt County, Illinois record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $14.9M 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 De Witt County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 148 | 0 | $2.1M | 96 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 65 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1958–2025 |
| Tornado | 25 | 4 | $14.9M | F4 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 18 | 0 | $5.0M | 0 | 2002–2025 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2009–2019 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2008–2008 |
Decade by decade
De Witt County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
27 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951-06-27 | EF3 | 1 | 15 | 18.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-05-09 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 50.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 12.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1960-06-04 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 56.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1956-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-05-15 | EF1 | 4 | 50 | 25.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-06-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-06-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 14.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-05-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in De Witt County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 1968 | Tornado | 4 | 50 | $2.5M | |
| May 31, 2003 | Tornado | HALLVILLE | 0 | 4 | $9.3M |
| Nov 16, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 4 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
As the first tornado was weakening on the west side of Hallsville another more significant tornado developed on the east side of town. It quickly intensified to F2 intensity, destroying two homes and causing damage to several others. In one home, a family of four sought shelter in the hallway. They were briefly trapped after the walls collapsed around them, but only sustained minor injuries. The tornado maintained its intensity and traveled to the southeast towards the south side of Clinton. As it approached US 51 numerous homes and businesses were severely damaged. Seven businesses were destroyed. The tornado finally weakened and lifted one mile south of Lane. Numerous trees, power lines and power poles were blown down as well. No other injuries were reported.
A severe thunderstorm produced 2.50 to 3.00 of rain within one hour in parts of central DeWitt County, including the city of Clinton. The flash flooding resulted in the closure of numerous streets and viaducts in Clinton, as well as basement flooding to numerous homes and businesses. The flash flooding also impacted several rural roads between Clinton and Weldon Springs State Park. The flooding subsided by late evening.
In DeWitt County, a strong microburst (100 to 110 mph) hit around the Clinton Nuclear Power Plant facility and the adjacent Clinton Lake recreation area. The nuclear plant lost three high voltage transmission lines, though there was no structural damage to the facility. Nearby at the marina, the roof on the west side was blown off and several large boats (not in the water) were blown over. Also, hundreds of trees were blown down, some of which blocked Routes 54 and 10 for a time. No injuries were reported.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
15,373
Population (ACS)
$130K
Median home value
11
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 |
| Feb 9, 2007 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| May 21, 2002 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in De Witt County, Illinois?
259 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 4 direct deaths and $22.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in De Witt County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 148 recorded events — 57.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed De Witt County?
27 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 19 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover De Witt County?
11 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include De Witt County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is De Witt County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates De Witt County as very low risk, placing it in the 29 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the De Witt 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
- DeKalb County 485
- Douglas County 266
- Cumberland County 180
- DuPage County 970
- Crawford County 281
- Edgar County 297
Cite this page
“De Witt County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/de-witt-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.