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Madison County, Illinois severe weather history spans 839 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #259 nationally and #8 in Illinois.
839
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
69
Direct injuries
$98.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Madison County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Madison County, Illinois severe weather history averages 11.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 289 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 113 events fall before 1990 and 726 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Madison County, Illinois record is tornado, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $70.4M 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 Madison County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 417 | 0 | $2.6M | 81 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 310 | 0 | $200K | 3.75 | 1961–2026 |
| Tornado | 67 | 6 | $70.4M | F4 | 1950–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 27 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $24.9M | 0 | 1998–2026 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2004 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2005 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
Decade by decade
Madison County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
66 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 56 touched down inside it and 10 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959-02-10 | EF4 | 21 | 345 | 23.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-22 | EF4 | 0 | 5 | 21.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1981-04-03 | EF4 | 0 | 32 | 11.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-10 | EF3 | 6 | 1 | 4.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1950-12-02 | EF3 | 2 | 25 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-05-31 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 10.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-11-15 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1983-05-01 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 16.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1976-07-28 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1950-01-03 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 9.5 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Madison County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 11, 2021 | Tornado | MITCHELL | 6 | 1 | $5.0M |
| Apr 4, 1981 | Tornado | 0 | 32 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 30, 1960 | Tornado | 0 | 17 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 2, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| May 2, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25.0M | |
| Feb 10, 1960 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Oct 6, 1955 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Mar 11, 2026 | Tornado | MORO | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Mississippi River at Alton, IL remained at it's highest levels between the evening of June 2nd and the evening of June 12th. America's Central Port in Granite City sustained at least $11.25 million in damage from the river flooding. Overall, Madison County sustained at least $24.8 million from this river flood event.
The 6th and last tornado spawned by the Heavy Precipitation Supercell that moved across the NWS St. Louis, County Warning Area, formed on the east side of Granite City and moved east into south Pontoon Beach. The tornado first damaged an apartment complex near Worthen Park. Two buildings were destroyed with 4 others suffering major to minor damage. Several cars in the parking lot were damaged by flying debris. One person was injured by flying glass. The tornado caused intermittent damage as it moved east across the Legacy Golf Course. Trees were downed and 3 homes suffered roof damage. In southern Pontoon Beach, one house was destroyed as the attached garage was blown away and the entire roof blown off. About 20 other homes/businesses were damaged before the tornado dissipated.
Thunderstorm winds blew off part of an outbuilding about a mile south of St. Jacob. Further east, about a quarter of a roof on a large horse barn was blown off. One of the horses was killed by the flying debris. Thirty five other horses busted out of their fences and stalls as they ran scared from the storm. The roof debris was thrown about a 100 yards to the east.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
264,238
Population (ACS)
$173K
Median home value
16
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 |
| Sep 19, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 24, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Feb 9, 2007 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Madison County, Illinois?
839 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths and $98.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Madison County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 417 recorded events — 49.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Madison County?
66 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 56 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Madison County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Madison County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Madison County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Madison County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 93 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Madison 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
- Macoupin County 527
- Marion County 375
- Macon County 562
- Marshall County 258
- McLean County 760
- Mason County 268
Cite this page
“Madison County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/madison-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.