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Perry County, Illinois severe weather history spans 312 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 40.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,711 nationally and #61 in Illinois.
312
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
26
Direct injuries
$10.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Perry County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Perry County, Illinois severe weather history averages 4.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 98 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 36 events fall before 1990 and 276 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Perry County, Illinois record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.6M 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 Perry County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 126 | 0 | $3.7M | 96 | 1955–2025 |
| Hail | 75 | 0 | $66K | 1.75 | 1961–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 39 | 0 | $405K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 24 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2015 |
| Tornado | 21 | 1 | $5.6M | F5 | 1957–2025 |
| Flood | 20 | 0 | $292K | 0 | 1999–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2025 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 1996–1999 |
Decade by decade
Perry County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
28 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 touched down inside it and 12 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-12-18 | EF5 | 1 | 6 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-03-11 | EF3 | 2 | 12 | 53.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-05-29 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-12-21 | EF3 | 0 | 15 | 29.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1958-04-05 | EF3 | 0 | 11 | 20.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-12-18 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-12-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 20.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-12-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 17.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Perry County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 18, 1957 | Tornado | 1 | 6 | $250K | |
| May 29, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $250K | |
| Apr 20, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | PYATTS | 0 | 2 | $1.0M |
| Jun 9, 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | DU QUOIN | 0 | 2 | $1.3M |
| Mar 12, 2006 | Tornado | CUTLER | 0 | 2 | $1.2M |
| May 26, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | CUTLER | 0 | 1 | $20K |
| Mar 19, 2020 | Tornado | SUNFIELD | 0 | 1 | $300K |
| Jun 19, 2011 | Tornado | CLINCH | 0 | 1 | $550K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An EF-2 tornado developed northwest of Vergennes in Jackson County and moved north northeast into Perry County Illinois at Zolter Road. It then moved northeast, passing to the west of DuQuoin and through the community of St Johns. It continued northeast and dissipated just north of Highway 154 at Marlow Road. The tornado snapped over a dozen wooden power poles, damaged the roofs of several homes, and damaged dozens of trees and a few barns and outbuildings. Just before it dissipated it broke several windows out of a church and turned over some gravestones in the adjacent cemetery. The estimated peak wind was 135 mph.
Downburst winds affected a swath of eastern and southern Perry County. The heart of the damage swath cut a path through the northeast and east sides of DuQuoin. The average path width was three-quarters of a mile. The damage path length was about six miles long. Many dozens to hundreds of trees were down on homes, vehicles, power lines, and other structures. Eight homes received major damage, and 82 others had minor damage. Nine vehicles were destroyed. A large portion of the metal roof was blown off a large industrial building. A semi trailer was overturned. Approximately 40 power poles were destroyed. Up to 1200 citizens were without power. There were two minor injuries due to falling debris. Peak winds were estimated near 75 mph.
A tornado crossed through the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, where damage was estimated around one-half million dollars. Dozens of large trees were snapped or uprooted. Several small camper trailers were overturned. One unoccupied trailer was demolished. Three persons were trapped inside a camper at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. They were extricated by fire and rescue personnel. One person sustained minor injuries in an overturned trailer. Several homes lost some shingles and sustained mainly minor damage from fallen trees. At the state fairgrounds, a shower/restroom facility and the Farm Service building were destroyed by falling trees. Large hvac units were lifted off the roof of the main arena building and overturned. The doors of the building were damaged. A couple of uprooted trees ruptured gas lines. The peak winds were estimated near 100 mph. The average path width was 200 yards.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
20,639
Population (ACS)
$113K
Median home value
7
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 7, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| May 21, 2002 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 6, 1996 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Du Quoin 126
- Pinckneyville 106
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Perry County, Illinois?
312 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $10.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Perry County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 126 recorded events — 40.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Perry County?
28 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Perry County?
7 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Perry County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Perry County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Perry County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 72 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Perry 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
- Peoria County 712
- Piatt County 236
- Ogle County 449
- Pike County 321
- Moultrie County 192
- Pope County 173
Cite this page
“Perry County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/perry-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.