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Jo Daviess County, Illinois severe weather history spans 444 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 50.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,085 nationally and #33 in Illinois.
444
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$18.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Jo Daviess County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jo Daviess County, Illinois severe weather history averages 6.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 137 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 44 events fall before 1990 and 400 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Jo Daviess County, Illinois record is flash flood, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $15.4M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Jo Daviess County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 225 | 0 | $1.6M | 78 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 113 | 0 | $271K | 2.5 | 1965–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 45 | 3 | $15.4M | 2.75 | 1997–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 22 | 0 | $5K | 3.31 | 2004–2011 |
| Tornado | 19 | 0 | $525K | F2 | 1956–2026 |
| Flood | 14 | 0 | $255K | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $35K | 0 | 2003–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2022–2026 |
Decade by decade
Jo Daviess County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
25 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-06-19 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-07-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-09-28 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 64.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-09-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-06-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-07-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1955-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-07-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 29.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-07-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-31 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 1.9 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jo Daviess County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 2011 | Flash Flood | EAST DUBUQUE | 3 | 0 | $7.0M |
| Feb 11, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | ELIZABETH | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 24, 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | GALENA | 0 | 1 | $50K |
| Jul 19, 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | WARREN | 0 | 1 | $25K |
| Feb 11, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | STOCKTON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Torrential rains of 7 to 15 inches caused some flash flooding across Jo Davies County during the evening of July 27 and morning of July 28. Numerous streets were reported flooded in East Dubuque causing sink holes to form as well as buckling of the road rending them impassible. A 70 year old woman died in the flood waters after being thrown from a vehicle overcome by flood waters while traveling along Long Hollow Road near Elizabeth, IL. A 75 year old man died in his car which was swept away in flood waters near Galena, IL. A Galena, IL man died of electrocution going down into his flooded basement.
Widespread flash flooding occurred throughout the county from 3 to over 9 inches of rain. Almost 1000 structures were flooded. Two water treatment sewage plants sustained damage with thousands of acres of crops lost. Preliminary damage estimates are between 7 and 8 million dollars.
Heavy rains of 3 to 9 inches fell across Jo Daviess County during the late evening of July 22 and through the morning of July 23 resulting in flash flooding of much of the county. At 315 am CDT, water was over Highway 20 near Galena and Highway 35 near East Dubuque. Apple River overflowed its banks due to the flash flooding. In Elizabeth, water was flowing out of manhole covers. In addition, Lone Street and Apple River Road were closed due to the flood waters. At 940 am CDT, water rescues were in progress in Elizabeth. Several roads were closed due to flooding.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
21,851
Population (ACS)
$210K
Median home value
16
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Mar 17, 2011 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Aug 19, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 13, 2008 | Snowstorm | RECORD SNOW AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | EM |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jo Daviess County, Illinois?
444 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $18.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jo Daviess County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 225 recorded events — 50.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jo Daviess County?
25 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 Jo Daviess County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jo Daviess County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jo Daviess County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jo Daviess County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 51 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jo Daviess 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
- Jersey County 252
- Johnson County 236
- Jefferson County 335
- Kane County 907
- Jasper County 231
- Kankakee County 562
Cite this page
“Jo Daviess County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/jo-daviess-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.