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Randolph County, Illinois severe weather history spans 426 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 42.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,147 nationally and #38 in Illinois.
426
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
14
Direct injuries
$10.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Randolph County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Randolph County, Illinois severe weather history averages 5.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 168 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 55 events fall before 1990 and 371 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Randolph County, Illinois record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $9.9M 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 Randolph County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 181 | 0 | $466K | 70 | 1974–2026 |
| Hail | 173 | 0 | $32K | 4 | 1961–2025 |
| Tornado | 45 | 1 | $9.9M | F3 | 1950–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 19 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $11K | 0 | 2008–2016 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
Decade by decade
Randolph County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
47 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 40 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-02-28 | EF4 | 1 | 12 | 53.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-03-11 | EF3 | 2 | 12 | 53.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-04-27 | EF3 | 1 | 20 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-05-29 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-12-21 | EF3 | 0 | 15 | 29.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-12-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 20.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-12-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 17.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-12-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 33.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-10-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.5 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Randolph County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 5, 1985 | Tornado | 1 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jul 12, 2000 | Lightning | COULTERVILLE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Dec 21, 1967 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Aug 5, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | SPARTA HUNTER FLD AR | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 15, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | EDEN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Mar 8, 2009 | Tornado | GRIGGS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Mar 8, 2009 | Hail | RED BUD | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jan 29, 2008 | Hail | EVANSVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down north of Ruma and moved northeast before lifting near Baldwin. The damage path was intermittent but Illinois State Police troopers followed it and observed numerous trees blown down and a few farm buildings damaged.
Widespread wind damage across Chester. Numerous trees, tree limbs, power poles and power lines were blown down around town. Also, a couple of houses sustained damage from fallen trees. Several businesses were damaged as well.
In Randolph County, most tornado damage occurred to trees. A few outbuildings did sustain significant damage to their roofs along the track. The tornado dissipated near Leanderville at approximately 11:55 PM. In Randolph County the tornado was rated EF-1 with a path length of 6.63 miles and a maximum path width of 175 yards. This is a continuation of a tornado that caused EF-1 damage in Bollinger County, MO and EF-2 damage in Perry County, MO.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
30,058
Population (ACS)
$135K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 19, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 7, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 2, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Jun 24, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Randolph County, Illinois?
426 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $10.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Randolph County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 181 recorded events — 42.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Randolph County?
47 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 40 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Randolph County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Randolph County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Randolph County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Randolph County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 79 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Randolph 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
- Putnam County 187
- Richland County 212
- Pulaski County 242
- Rock Island County 629
- Pope County 173
- St. Clair County 895
Cite this page
“Randolph County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/randolph-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.