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Fulton County, Illinois severe weather history spans 617 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #545 nationally and #19 in Illinois.
617
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
126
Direct injuries
$65.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Fulton County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Fulton County, Illinois severe weather history averages 9.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 164 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 72 events fall before 1990 and 545 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Fulton County, Illinois record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $39.8M 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 Fulton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 298 | 0 | $2.9M | 78 | 1961–2026 |
| Hail | 210 | 0 | $2.0M | 4 | 1972–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 50 | 0 | $14.3M | 0 | 2000–2024 |
| Tornado | 48 | 2 | $39.8M | F4 | 1966–2024 |
| Flood | 10 | 2 | $6.6M | 0 | 2009–2023 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2025–2025 |
Decade by decade
Fulton County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
52 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 46 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-05-13 | EF4 | 0 | 45 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-07-23 | EF3 | 2 | 69 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-04-04 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 19.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-07-23 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 11.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-06-13 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 6.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-05-14 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 127.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-04-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-03-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 42.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-06-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-08-11 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Fulton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 23, 1975 | Tornado | 2 | 69 | $25.0M | |
| May 16, 2009 | Flood | AVON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 16, 2009 | Flood | AVON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 13, 1995 | Tornado | Ipava to | 0 | 45 | $6.0M |
| Apr 5, 2023 | Tornado | IPAVA | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Apr 30, 1997 | Tornado | FAIRVIEW | 0 | 2 | $450K |
| Feb 19, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Aug 4, 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | VERMONT | 0 | 1 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Periods of heavy rain on saturated soil resulted in extensive flooding in northern Fulton county, particularly in the vicinity of the upper Spoon River basin. Nearly every road was under water and impassible. A 46 year old woman died when she drove her car around a barricade and was swept into the Spoon River just north of the Fulton/Knox County line. She drowned in Fulton County around Midnight and was found in the Spoon River near London Mills.
Torrential rainfall of 4.00 to 8.00 inches resulted in damage to nearly 2000 houses in the county. Several homes had to be evacuated in the town of London Mills. Every creek and stream in the county was flooded, which damaged a few levees and culverts. Nearly every road in the county was impassable, and numerous water rescues were made. This rainfall lead to record or near record flooding on the Spoon River from April 18th through the 24th.
A tornado touched down 1 NE of Ipava and traveled to the northeast for seven miles, lifting and dissipating 2 NE of Lewistown. The tops of some high power line structures were broken off and 12 homes were destroyed. Numerous livestock were killed. Numerous cars and farm equipment were either damaged or destroyed. One car was thrown over a 100 yards into a farm field. Forty-five people sustained minor injuries, mainly from flying debris. Damage was estimated around $6 million.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
33,020
Population (ACS)
$107K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODNG | DR |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Fulton County, Illinois?
617 events are on record between 1961 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $65.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Fulton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 298 recorded events — 48.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Fulton County?
52 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 46 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Fulton County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Fulton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Fulton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Fulton County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 59 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Fulton 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
- Franklin County 435
- Gallatin County 239
- Ford County 258
- Greene County 193
- Fayette County 264
- Grundy County 345
Cite this page
“Fulton County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/fulton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.