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Vermilion County, Illinois severe weather history spans 691 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #413 nationally and #14 in Illinois.
691
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
32
Direct injuries
$76.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Vermilion County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Vermilion County, Illinois severe weather history averages 9.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 293 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 65 events fall before 1990 and 626 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Vermilion County, Illinois record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $46.7M 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 Vermilion County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 368 | 0 | $17.8M | 78 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 198 | 0 | $8.5M | 3.5 | 1965–2026 |
| Tornado | 64 | 1 | $46.7M | F4 | 1953–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 53 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $3.0M | 0 | 2015–2018 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $4K | 0 | 2012–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Vermilion County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
71 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 64 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-03-20 | EF4 | 0 | 18 | 63.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-04-09 | EF3 | 3 | 22 | 156.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-11-17 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 29.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 14.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-11-17 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 19.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-11-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 12 | 7.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-08-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-08-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Vermilion County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 1953 | Tornado | 1 | 5 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 3, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Apr 13, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| Jun 29, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | NEW TOWN | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | Tornado | ALLERTON | 0 | 1 | $9.5M |
| Oct 24, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Feb 11, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | FITHIAN | 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 in an open field 2.8 miles NE of Allerton at 1:03 PM CST. The tornado tracked to the northeast for about 15 miles and did major damage to 2 homes, roof damage to 4 other homes, and destroyed 9 outbuildings, 4 garages, and 2 grain bins. Numerous trees and power poles were also snapped. The tornado crossed State Route 1 about 2 miles north of Westville, impacting the villages of Belgium and Hegeler where 1 person was injured. Nine homes sustained major damage, 26 had significant roof damage, and more than 100 had minor roof damage. The tornado also damaged more than 50 mobile homes, numerous garages and vehicles, and destroyed about 25 outbuildings. The tornado crossed the Vermilion River and moved through about a mile of forested area before dissipating 4.4 miles NE of Westville and 3 miles W of the Indiana border. Total damage was estimated at $9.5 million.
Downburst winds caused considerable damage on the west side of Hoopeston. Three businesses were destroyed, one hundred homes sustained minor to moderate damage, and the EMS building was destroyed. Also, the sewer department suffered major damage and a church suffered minor damage. Numerous trees, tree limbs, power poles, and power lines were blown down in Hoopeston and areas to the southeast, east of Rossville. No injuries or deaths were reported. Damage was estimated around 8.5 million dollars.
Around 1.00 to 1.75 inches of rain fell onto frozen ground late on February 19th. This set the conditions for rapid flash flooding to occur on February 20th into the 21st when 3.00 to 5.00 of rain occurred. Numerous creeks and streams rapidly flooded in northern and central Vermilion County. Numerous roads in Hoopeston, Bismarck and Danville were impassable. Another 0.50 to 1.00 inch of rain from late on February 21st into early February 23rd exacerbated the flooding. The North Fork of the Vermilion River flooded so quickly that 25 homes had to be evacuated by boat in the Morin addition on the west side of Danville early in the morning on February 21st. A person attempting to cross a flooded section of Illinois Route 1, between Hoopeston and Rossville had to be rescued from the roof of their car, also early in the morning on February 21st. The flood waters took more than two days to recede, with much of the flooding ending by the late afternoon of February 23rd.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
72,386
Population (ACS)
$97K
Median home value
12
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Nov 26, 2013 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| May 21, 2002 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Vermilion County, Illinois?
691 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $76.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Vermilion County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 368 recorded events — 53.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Vermilion County?
71 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 64 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Vermilion County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Vermilion County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Vermilion County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Vermilion County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 79 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Vermilion 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
- Union County 230
- Wabash County 279
- Tazewell County 729
- Warren County 302
- Stephenson County 518
- Washington County 326
Cite this page
“Vermilion County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/vermilion-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.