143
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$8.0M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Saline County, Illinois: 143 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 87. That places the county #1,620 nationally and #60 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Saline County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Saline County is the 2000s, when 44 of the county's 143 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 Saline County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 45.0% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,620 for this hazard and #60 within Illinois, putting it in the 48.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Saline County with 35 recorded events, while Dec 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.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 14, 2025 | PANKEYVILLE | 74 | $75K |
| Jul 30, 2024 | HARRISBURG | 52 | $1K |
| May 8, 2024 | RUDEMENT | 72 | $25K |
| May 8, 2024 | MITCHELLSVILLE | 74 | $75K |
| May 8, 2024 | LEDFORD | 78 | $20K |
| May 8, 2024 | CARRIERS MILLS | 70 | $80K |
| Apr 2, 2024 | MITCHELLSVILLE | 65 | $3K |
| Aug 7, 2023 | RALEIGH | 56 | $7K |
| Jul 16, 2023 | HARRISBURG | 56 | $25K |
| Jul 2, 2023 | HARRISBURG | 56 | $6K |
Other hazards here
More from Saline County
- Hail 78
- Flash Flood 42
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This microburst struck a 10-block long area in the city of Harrisburg, from the southwest edge of town to the southeast side. The damage ended after striking the commercial strip on U.S. Highway 45. The damage swath was about one-half mile wide. Porches were blown off a couple of housees. Trees up to two feet in diameter fell on houses. Some power lines were down. The wind caused some direct minor structural damage to houses. The press box at a football field was blown out of the stands. A construction trailer was blown on its side. Storage sheds and outbuildings were blown over, including one shed that struck and damaged a few vehicles. A gas station canopy was heavily damaged.
Extensive damage occurred just to the south and east of Eldorado. A tree fell across a house, a barn and a grain bin were destroyed, and a mobile home was flipped over. Some roofs were damaged in the Eldorado area. Three power poles were knocked across Illinois Route 142. Trees were blown down, including some that landed across roads. Due to tree and power line damage, much of Eldorado was without power into the following day.
Damage was reported between Raleigh and Eldorado. Two mobile homes were destroyed. The steeple of a church was blown off in Eldorado. A large tree fell onto a car. An outbuilding was destroyed, and a large tree fell on the corner of a house. Several houses lost pieces of roofing. A carport was lifted and blown onto a van. An oil-filled tank overturned and spilled oil. About 30 homes and businesses reported roof damage across the county, and another 30 were suspected of not reporting or not detecting damage. Downed trees and power lines were reported along Hilltop Road and U.S. 45. Widespread tree damage occurred throughout the county.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Saline County, Illinois?
143 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Saline County between 1957 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Saline County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Saline County measured 87.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Saline 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 Saline County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/saline-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.