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Macoupin County, Illinois severe weather history spans 527 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 44.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #791 nationally and #26 in Illinois.
527
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
16
Direct injuries
$7.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Macoupin County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Macoupin County, Illinois severe weather history averages 6.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 222 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 44 events fall before 1990 and 483 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Macoupin County, Illinois record is lightning, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $5.8M 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 Macoupin County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 233 | 0 | $5.8M | 3 | 1955–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 209 | 0 | $339K | 91 | 1958–2026 |
| Tornado | 48 | 1 | $1.2M | F2 | 1950–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 27 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 1999–2022 |
| Lightning | 6 | 2 | $100K | 0 | 2001–2005 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2005 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Macoupin County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
49 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 40 touched down inside it and 9 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-19 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1950-12-02 | EF2 | 1 | 3 | 18.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-05-20 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-05-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 34.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-01-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-03-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-08-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 26.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-10-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 48.7 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Macoupin County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2, 1950 | Tornado | 1 | 3 | $25K | |
| Sep 6, 2001 | Lightning | SAWYERVILLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 10, 2001 | Lightning | GIRARD | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 25, 1989 | Hail | 0 | 6 | $0 | |
| May 21, 2013 | Tornado | MT OLIVE | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Apr 19, 2011 | Tornado | GIRARD | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 23, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | STAUNTON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 12, 1978 | 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 man was killed by a lighting strike while working on a roof in the Sawyerville area. The group of workers saw the storm approaching and climbed off the roof. The man killed was the last man and unfortunately did not make in off in time.
A 49 year old woman was struck and killed by lightning while working outside at her home at Sunset Lake west of Girard. Witnesses reported that the woman was planting and watering flowers and had knelt down at the edge of the lake to dip out some more water when the lightning struck.
Widespread wind damage across the county. In Shipman and Bunker Hill, numerous large tree limbs as well as several large trees were blown down. In Carlinville, two power poles were snapped off at the base and a large tree was blown over onto a house causing moderate roof damage. About 3 miles west of Girard, multiple mature trees were snapped off near the base, another one was uprooted and a power pole was blown over. A couple of large trees were blown over in Staunton.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
44,350
Population (ACS)
$138K
Median home value
9
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 13, 2021 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | EM |
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 3, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Feb 9, 2007 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Macoupin County, Illinois?
527 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $7.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Macoupin County?
Hail, with 233 recorded events — 44.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Macoupin County?
49 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 40 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Macoupin County?
9 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Macoupin County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Macoupin County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Macoupin County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 80 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Macoupin 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
- Macon County 562
- Madison County 839
- McLean County 760
- Marion County 375
- McHenry County 654
- Marshall County 258
Cite this page
“Macoupin County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/macoupin-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.