135
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$10.6M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Mercer County, Illinois: 135 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 78. That places the county #1,731 nationally and #68 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Mercer County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Mercer County is the 2000s, when 33 of the county's 135 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 Mercer County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 39.6% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,731 for this hazard and #68 within Illinois, putting it in the 44.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Mercer County with 32 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 30, 1991 | 0 | 0 | 3 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 2026 | NEW BOSTON | 52 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2025 | ALEDO | 61 | $0 |
| May 20, 2025 | SHERRARD | 50 | $0 |
| Aug 28, 2024 | KEITHSBURG | 52 | $0 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | NEW BOSTON | 61 | $0 |
| Jul 3, 2024 | SHERRARD | 50 | $0 |
| Jun 16, 2024 | PREEMPTION | 52 | $0 |
| Jun 14, 2024 | GRIFFIN | 52 | $0 |
| Jun 13, 2024 | KEITHSBURG | 52 | $0 |
| Apr 16, 2024 | ALEDO | 61 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Mercer County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous trees and power lines were downed in Joy. Westmer High School had considerable roof damage done to the gymnasium. The outer roof of the Frontier Communications Building was peeled off. A mobile home just north of Joy was destroyed.
Several supercell storms slowed down and transformed into high precipitation supercells across Mercer county. Widespread reports of damage to trees and power lines were received. Illinois Highway 17 was closed between Aledo and Joy due to the number of power lines, poles, and trees down across the road. The road did not open until the following afternoon. Specific locations of severe damage will be given as separate entries.
Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph uprooted three mature trees, snapped 6 to 12 inch diameter tree limbs off of healthy trees, and ripped shingles off of some roofs about 2 miles north of New Windsor, IL at 610 am July 21. In addition, the outer rows of some area corn fields were leaning over at a 45 degree angle.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Mercer County, Illinois?
135 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Mercer County between 1957 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Mercer County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Mercer County measured 78.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Mercer 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 Mercer County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/mercer-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.