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White County, Illinois severe weather history spans 413 recorded events between 1965 and 2025. The dominant hazard is flood, accounting for 39.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,204 nationally and #42 in Illinois.
413
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
21
Direct injuries
$15.7M
Property damage
The record
What the White County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, White County, Illinois severe weather history averages 6.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 194 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 23 events fall before 1990 and 390 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the White County, Illinois record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $8.9M 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 White County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood | 163 | 0 | $1.6M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 116 | 1 | $3.0M | 104 | 1975–2025 |
| Hail | 64 | 0 | $751K | 2.75 | 1978–2024 |
| Tornado | 25 | 1 | $8.9M | F2 | 1965–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 25 | 0 | $1.3M | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2008–2015 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $159K | 0 | 1996–2011 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2019 |
Decade by decade
White County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
28 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 24 touched down inside it and 4 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 | EF3 | 1 | 2 | 44.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-12-18 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 19.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-01-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-01-07 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 27.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1976-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-02-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 34.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in White County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2017 | Tornado | CARMI MUNI ARPT | 1 | 1 | $2.0M |
| May 17, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Jun 20, 2019 | Flood | MAUNIE | 0 | 10 | $30K |
| Jan 7, 1989 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 9, 2011 | Lightning | CROSSVILLE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | CENTERVILLE | 0 | 2 | $200K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado several miles southeast of Carmi severely damaged two farms. Over a dozen grain bins were destroyed. One of the grain bins followed a curved path that crossed a fence twice. A seven-ton truck that was parked in a shed was overturned onto its side. An equipment shed was unroofed. Windows were blown out on all sides of a large, multi-story house. The house sustained considerable loss of roofing material and collapse of a non load-bearing wall. Several objects in the house were found across the street, including a mirror and curtains. Power poles were snapped. Irrigation pivots were overturned. The pattern of flattened corn stubble indicated convergent winds in a field. Peak winds were estimated near 130 mph. The average path width was 125 yards.
Major flooding continued on the Wabash River from April. At the New Harmony (Indiana) river gage, the river crested at 23.67 feet on May 4. This level was the fourth highest crest on record, exceeding the 2005 flood by about six inches. This was the highest level since 1943. Sandbagging began to prevent Wabash River floodwaters from entering the Grayville water plant. Several homes in Grayville were threatened by rising water, and water entered a number of basements. The approach to the bridge to Maunie was washed out. The 172 residents of Maunie were asked to evacuate, but 42 of them did not. An airboat was brought in by Illinois police to shuttle supplies into the isolated community and evacuate medical patients. The airboats were used to assist residents in the communities of Dogtown and Concord that were isolated by floodwaters. In New Haven, a combination of Little Wabash River floodwater and Wabash River backwater flooded more than a dozen homes.
A swath of damaging straight-line winds around 90 mph extended from Carmi northeast to Crossville. In Carmi and Crossville, there was widespread damage to trees and power lines. Numerous power poles were snapped. Sections of the metal walls of a large warehouse type building in Carmi were peeled back on the south and west sides. A mobile home was knocked off its foundation in Carmi. Much of the city was without power for 36 to 48 hours. Part of the roof was blown off the high school. Uprooted trees fell across homes and vehicles. A carport was blown into trees. In Crossville, numerous trees and limbs were blown down on every street. Some trees landed on houses and vehicles. A mobile home was demolished about a mile east of Crossville.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
13,619
Population (ACS)
$108K
Median home value
10
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 |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Feb 1, 2005 | Snowstorm | RECORD/NEAR RECORD SNOW | EM |
| May 21, 2002 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Carmi 221
- Maunie 175
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in White County, Illinois?
413 events are on record between 1965 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $15.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in White County?
Flood, with 163 recorded events — 39.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed White County?
28 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 White County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include White County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is White County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates White County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 54 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the White 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
- Wayne County 312
- Whiteside County 557
- Washington County 326
- Will County 1,250
- Warren County 302
- Williamson County 375
Cite this page
“White County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/white-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.