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Moultrie County, Illinois severe weather history spans 192 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,486 nationally and #92 in Illinois.
192
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$10.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Moultrie County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Moultrie County, Illinois severe weather history averages 2.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 57 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 15 events fall before 1990 and 177 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $7.0M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Moultrie County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 100 | 0 | $2.1M | 87 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 46 | 0 | $7.0M | 2 | 1974–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 23 | 0 | $218K | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Tornado | 16 | 0 | $1.0M | F2 | 1956–2026 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $500K | 0 | 2015–2020 |
| Waterspout | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Moultrie County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
15 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 13 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-04-07 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-02 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-04-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-11-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-03-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-04-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-05-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Moultrie County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8, 1998 | Tornado | CADWELL | 0 | 4 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A severe thunderstorm dropped large amounts of hail up to two inches in diameter over Moultrie County. Two police cars were damaged severely. In Bethany, many windows and windshields were smashed by the hail, as well as, considerable roof damage. No injuries were reported. Damage was estimated between 6 and 7 million dollars.
Downburst winds caused significant damage across parts of Moultrie County from near Kirksville eastward through Sullivan. Crops and numerous large trees were damaged along this path just southwest and south of Sullivan. In the town of Sullivan itself, structural damage occurred to 4 buildings along the town square. The roof and facade of one building were blown onto the street below, crushing a car. The roof of a hotel on the south side of town was blown off…with pieces of it carried nearly 200 yards away.
A tornado touched down in an open field about 3 miles NE of Lovington at 12:30 PM CST, then tracked northeastward and crossed into Douglas County about 5 miles north of Arthur at 12:37 PM CST. Major roof damage occurred to 8 homes, while 1 garage was destroyed and 17 outbuildings were severely damaged. Numerous trees and power poles were snapped.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
14,424
Population (ACS)
$134K
Median home value
10
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
| Mar 17, 2011 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Aug 19, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Moultrie County, Illinois?
192 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $10.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Moultrie County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 100 recorded events — 52.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Moultrie County?
15 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Moultrie County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Moultrie County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Moultrie County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Moultrie County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 45 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Moultrie 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
- Morgan County 371
- Ogle County 449
- Montgomery County 417
- Peoria County 712
- Monroe County 315
- Perry County 312
Cite this page
“Moultrie County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/moultrie-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.