Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Knox; Stark; Peoria; Marshall; Woodford; Fulton; Tazewell; McLean; Schuyler; Mason; Logan; De Witt; Piatt; Champaign; Vermilion; Cass; Menard; Scott; Morgan; Sangamon; Christian; Macon; Moultrie; Douglas; Coles; Edgar; Shelby; Cumberland; Clark; Effingham; Jasper; Crawford; Clay; Richland; Lawrence
McLean County, Illinois severe weather history spans 760 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #328 nationally and #9 in Illinois.
760
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
17
Direct injuries
$42.6M
Property damage
The record
What the McLean County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, McLean County, Illinois severe weather history averages 10.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 209 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 123 events fall before 1990 and 637 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $20.3M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in McLean County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 342 | 0 | $9.3M | 83 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 245 | 0 | $5K | 4.5 | 1961–2026 |
| Tornado | 121 | 0 | $20.3M | F3 | 1950–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 38 | 0 | $12.5M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2021 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $395K | 0 | 2008–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
McLean County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
124 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 114 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977-05-05 | EF4 | 0 | 2 | 7.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-04-19 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 9.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 7.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-12-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-09-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-08-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 23.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-04-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-06-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in McLean County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 6, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 6 | $0 | |
| May 9, 2000 | Tornado | SHAMROCK | 0 | 4 | $175K |
| Nov 16, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Mar 19, 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | HUDSON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 9, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | DANVERS | 0 | 1 | $3.5M |
| Jun 15, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | HUDSON | 0 | 1 | $40K |
| Nov 10, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | STANFORD | 0 | 1 | $275K |
| Mar 4, 1961 | 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
Numerous roads were closed due to flood waters, including Route 136 between Heyworth and McLean. Part of the I-55 shoulder collapsed near Kickapoo Creek southwest of Bloomington, prompting the closure of the interstate. A dive team from Hudson was deployed to rescue a stranded motorist on I-55 southwest of Shirley. Other vehicles were stranded by high water near mile marker 159 on I-55 near Bloomington, at exit 142 on I-74 near the Kickapoo Creek Bridge just west of Downs, and about 2 miles north of LeRoy. A homeowner was stranded by high water surrounding their property a mile north of Heyworth. Nearly 1, 600 homes and 75 businesses were damaged by the flooding, including more than 200 structures that had major damage or were destroyed.
Downburst winds of 70 to 80 mph produced a wide swath of damage from Danvers southeastward into the southwest side of Bloomington. One of the hardest hit locations along this path was the Apollo Acres subdivision just north of Illinois Route 9, where 159 homes sustained damage. 139 of those homes had awnings or shingles damaged, while 19 suffered minor roof and window damage, and 1 home had one-third of its roof torn off. Total damage in Apollo Acres was around $1 million. Other significant damage occurred along the path of the storm, including numerous downed trees, trailers blown over, and several large metal buildings with doors blown in and roofs torn off. Total damage to 30 businesses along the path was estimated at around $2.5 million. One minor injury was reported, as a car was hit by a wind-blown trailer.
Widespread damage was reported countywide. In Stanford, the roof of a business was torn off causing approximately $50,000 in damage. On I-39 northwest of Bloomington, a semi was blown over and at the I-55/I-74 interchange, two semis were blown over. No injuries were reported. At Illinois State University in Normal, windows were shattered in 30 to 40 cars. Also, 6 windows on two dormitories were cracked. At Lake Bloomington, a tree fell onto a police patrol boat, destroying it. In Cooksville, a grain elevator sustained major damage. Two of its grain bins were destroyed and a third one was damaged. Damage to the elevator is estimated around $750,000. Numerous trees, tree limbs, power poles, power lines, and sheds were blown over countywide. Total storm damage is estimated around $1.1 million.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
171,556
Population (ACS)
$208K
Median home value
11
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 |
| Feb 9, 2007 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Jan 17, 2001 | Snowstorm | ILLINOIS WINTER SNOW STORMS | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Bloomington 103
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in McLean County, Illinois?
760 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $42.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in McLean County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 342 recorded events — 45.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed McLean County?
124 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 114 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover McLean County?
11 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include McLean County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is McLean County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates McLean County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 87 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the McLean 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
- McHenry County 654
- Macon County 562
- McDonough County 592
- Macoupin County 527
- Logan County 551
- Madison County 839
Cite this page
“McLean County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/mclean-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.