137
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$14.7M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Jefferson County, Illinois: 137 recorded events between 1960 and 2024. The strongest on record measured 83. That places the county #1,694 nationally and #65 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Jefferson County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Jefferson County is the 2010s, when 41 of the county's 137 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 Jefferson County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 40.9% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,694 for this hazard and #65 within Illinois, putting it in the 46.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Jefferson County with 26 recorded events, while Nov 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 10, 2015 | MT VERNON | 52 | 1 | 0 | $45K |
| Jul 21, 2006 | COUNTYWIDE | 78 | 0 | 5 | $13.0M |
| Aug 17, 2000 | MT VERNON | 0 | 0 | 1 | $30K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 2024 | TEXICO | 61 | $12K |
| May 9, 2024 | MT VERNON | 61 | $20K |
| May 9, 2024 | BOYD | 52 | $5K |
| May 5, 2024 | MT VERNON | 52 | $1K |
| Mar 15, 2024 | MT VERNON | 52 | $20K |
| Mar 15, 2024 | MT VERNON | 74 | $30K |
| Jul 29, 2023 | BLUFORD | 52 | $2K |
| Jul 1, 2023 | MT VERNON | 56 | $6K |
| Jul 1, 2023 | MT VERNON | 61 | $30K |
| May 7, 2023 | BONNIE | 52 | $1K |
Other hazards here
More from Jefferson County
- Hail 91
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous tree limbs and power lines were blown down, along with a couple of large trees. A large tree limb blew across two mobile homes, killing a 72-year-old man who was in the mobile home closest to the tree. The man died from blunt-force trauma caused by the tree limb, which was about 20 inches in diameter. His mobile home was destroyed. The second mobile home received only minor damage.
A dozen homes sustained roof damage, such as tiles missing or trees on roofs. Thirty to 35 trees were damaged or uprooted. A small boat was blown about 200 yards, damaging a front porch and breaking a window. Numerous power lines were down.
In Boyd, a small community northwest of Mount Vernon, a saw mill building collapsed, and surrounding outbuildings were destroyed. The outbuildings included a trailer and a garage. Three trees were snapped or uprooted, and a couple of utility poles were snapped. The damage was oriented from southwest to northeast. The damage path length was one-half to two-thirds of a mile. The path width was about 300 yards. A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service indicated a microburst with peak winds near 70 MPH caused the damage in Boyd. In the city of Mount Vernon, numerous trees were blown down, including three that landed on houses and one on a vehicle. Streets on the north side of town were blocked by trees. In Dix, the roof was partially torn off a building.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Jefferson County, Illinois?
137 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Jefferson County between 1960 and 2024, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Jefferson County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Jefferson County measured 83.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/jefferson-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.