139
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$948K
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Menard County, Illinois: 139 recorded events between 1966 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 70. That places the county #1,665 nationally and #63 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Menard County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Menard County is the 2010s, when 46 of the county's 139 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 Menard County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 53.9% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,665 for this hazard and #63 within Illinois, putting it in the 47.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Menard County with 38 recorded events, while Jan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 29, 1998 | PETERSBURG | 0 | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 20, 1997 | ATHENS | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 26, 2025 | CULVER | 52 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 2025 | ATTERBERRY | 52 | $0 |
| May 15, 2025 | ATHENS | 52 | $0 |
| May 15, 2025 | ATHENS | 61 | $0 |
| May 15, 2025 | LINCNS NEW SALEM ST | 61 | $0 |
| Mar 22, 2025 | GREENVIEW | 52 | $0 |
| Mar 31, 2024 | GREENVIEW | 52 | $0 |
| Oct 24, 2021 | PETERSBURG | 52 | $0 |
| Aug 12, 2021 | ATHENS | 52 | $0 |
| May 3, 2021 | PETERSBURG | 61 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Menard County
- Hail 79
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Downburst thunderstorm winds of 75 to 85 mph produced a path of damage from Sweetwater to approximately 3 miles east of Sweetwater. Numerous trees and tree branches were blown down and several trees were uprooted. In addition, a few homes sustained minor roofing damage, as did several grain bins and farm outbuildings.
Trees were blown down countywide, as well as, 11 power poles along Route 29 just north of Athens.One tree fell onto a house and truck just north of Petersburg. No injuries were reported. Thousands of acres of corn were flattened, especially in the northern part of the county. Damage to the crops was estimated around $6 million.
Sentinel satellite imagery showed an area of mild crop damage oriented towards the northeast. The area of crop damage extended from near the intersection of Fairgrounds Street and Cape Horn Hill Road northeast towards the Sangamon River, ending at Wilken Avenue.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Menard County, Illinois?
139 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Menard County between 1966 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Menard County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Menard County measured 70.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Menard 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 Menard County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/menard-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.