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Wayne County, Illinois severe weather history spans 312 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 33.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,711 nationally and #61 in Illinois.
312
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
51
Direct injuries
$16.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Wayne County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wayne County, Illinois severe weather history averages 4.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 99 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 26 events fall before 1990 and 286 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wayne County, Illinois record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $11.1M 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 Wayne County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 105 | 0 | $3.7M | 87 | 1960–2025 |
| Hail | 72 | 0 | $811K | 2.75 | 1955–2024 |
| Flood | 54 | 1 | $272K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 35 | 0 | $240K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 29 | 1 | $11.1M | F4 | 1957–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2004–2014 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 1999–2000 |
Decade by decade
Wayne County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
31 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 24 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-06-02 | EF4 | 1 | 12 | 106.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-06-02 | EF4 | 0 | 2 | 23.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-04-21 | EF3 | 1 | 42 | 31.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-04-19 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 17.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-12-18 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 19.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-12-18 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 19.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-11-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-11-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 10.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-03-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wayne County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 2002 | Tornado | WAYNE CITY | 1 | 42 | $4.0M |
| Dec 25, 2013 | Flood | MT ERIE | 1 | 0 | $20K |
| Apr 20, 2011 | Tornado | FAIRFIELD | 0 | 2 | $400K |
| Jun 2, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Mar 8, 2009 | Tornado | WAYNE CITY | 0 | 1 | $40K |
| Apr 2, 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | WAYNE CITY | 0 | 1 | $40K |
| Apr 15, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairfield | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| Jun 2, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Flooding of the Little Wabash River affected low-lying fields and woodlands. A 42-year-old woman died after driving her car into the backwaters of the Little Wabash River northeast of Fairfield. Using an airplane, state police located her body beneath ice not far from the abandoned car. She was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead of hypothermia.
One house was destroyed, with part of the roof removed and separation of some walls. A machine shed and several grain bins were destroyed. About a dozen power poles were snapped. Dozens of trees were snapped or uprooted. A tank was blown about 150 yards. An outbuilding was blown across Route 15. The average path width was 100 yards. Peak winds were estimated near 120 mph.
Nearly all of the damage was in the south and west parts of Wayne City. There were dozens of trees and large tree branches down, several of which landed on homes and cars. Some light structure damage occurred to a mobile home. A large tree fell onto a barn. Roofing from an open, lean-to style machine shed was torn off. Power poles and lines were down.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
15,973
Population (ACS)
$111K
Median home value
8
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Wayne City 117
- Fairfield 115
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wayne County, Illinois?
312 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $16.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wayne County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 105 recorded events — 33.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wayne County?
31 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 24 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wayne County?
8 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wayne County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wayne County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wayne County as very low risk, placing it in the 41 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wayne 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
- Washington County 326
- White County 413
- Warren County 302
- Whiteside County 557
- Wabash County 279
- Will County 1,250
Cite this page
“Wayne County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/wayne-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.