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Pulaski County, Illinois severe weather history spans 242 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 32.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,160 nationally and #79 in Illinois.
242
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
16
Direct injuries
$8.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Pulaski County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Pulaski County, Illinois severe weather history averages 3.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 91 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 16 events fall before 1990 and 226 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Pulaski County, Illinois record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $4.1M 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 Pulaski County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 78 | 1 | $800K | 87 | 1958–2025 |
| Flood | 76 | 1 | $3.1M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Hail | 54 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1980–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 14 | 0 | $275K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Tornado | 12 | 1 | $4.1M | F4 | 1957–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2013 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2015 |
Decade by decade
Pulaski County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
12 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 6 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-05-06 | EF4 | 2 | 33 | 33.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-02-29 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 22.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 19.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1972-04-21 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 6.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 6.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 23.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-10-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-05-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-01-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Pulaski County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 2003 | Tornado | GRAND CHAIN | 1 | 13 | $3.5M |
| Jun 21, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | ULLIN | 1 | 1 | $20K |
| Jan 3, 2015 | Flood | PULASKI | 1 | 0 | $40K |
| Apr 21, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
One fatality occurred when a motorist drove around barricades into a flooded area along Sandusky Road. The area is fairly prone to flooding of the Cache River. The vehicle was found completely submerged in Cache River floodwaters. A volunteer fire and rescue squad located the vehicle and the body of the motorist. The body of the female motorist was found in a flooded field about 100 feet from the vehicle. It appeared she may have tried to turn around, and the vehicle ended up in a flooded ditch. The incident was reported by a tow-truck driver who towed a second vehicle out of the floodwater. The driver of the second vehicle got out safely, but the vehicle was almost completely submerged except for a small part of the top.
Damaging winds crossed parts of Pulaski County, downing numerous trees. A 48-year-old woman was killed when a tree fell onto her car as she was driving on Old U.S. Highway 51 about two miles south of Ullin. At Mounds, a teenage girl was seriously injured when a tree fell on her in a city park.
Ullin was especially hard hit. At least 50 homes in Ullin were flooded, along with the town's pump station. The town's post office and grocery store were flooded. A car was submerged up to the steering wheel. Floodwaters rushed over a bridge in Ullin. Two to three bridges were washed out. Dozens of residents of an assisted living facility were evacuated as water entered the facility. The facility sustained major damage. Flooding of the Cache River closed Shawnee College Road for several days. Most of the county back roads were closed, and other areas of the county outside Ullin were evacuated. Six apartments and two houses were flooded in Mound City. Several homes in Karnak were surrounded with water or sandbagged, mainly due to flooding of the Cache River. Portions of Route 37 and U.S. Highway 51 were closed.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
5,015
Population (ACS)
$85K
Median home value
14
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 |
| Mar 2, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| May 15, 2003 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Olmsted 123
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Pulaski County, Illinois?
242 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths and $8.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Pulaski County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 78 recorded events — 32.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Pulaski County?
12 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 6 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Pulaski County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Pulaski County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Pulaski County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pulaski County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 49 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Pulaski 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
- Pope County 173
- Putnam County 187
- Pike County 321
- Randolph County 426
- Piatt County 236
- Richland County 212
Cite this page
“Pulaski County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/pulaski-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.