Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Winnebago; Boone; McHenry; Lake; Ogle; Lee; De Kalb; Kane; DuPage; La Salle; Kendall; Grundy; Kankakee; Livingston; Iroquois; Ford; Northern Cook; Central Cook; Southern Cook; Northern Will; Southern Will; Eastern Will; Lake; Porter; Newton; Jasper; Benton
Winnebago County, Illinois severe weather history spans 692 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #411 nationally and #13 in Illinois.
692
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$40.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Winnebago County, Illinois severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Winnebago County, Illinois severe weather history averages 10.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 221 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 92 events fall before 1990 and 600 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Winnebago County, Illinois record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $25.5M 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 Winnebago County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 342 | 2 | $5.6M | 90 | 1960–2026 |
| Hail | 215 | 0 | $0 | 3 | 1960–2026 |
| Flood | 46 | 0 | $8.0M | 0 | 2006–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 36 | 1 | $25.5M | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Tornado | 25 | 0 | $940K | F2 | 1958–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 12 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2026 |
| Lightning | 10 | 0 | $541K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2025 |
Decade by decade
Winnebago County, Illinois severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
23 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 20 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958-10-08 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 81.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-11-22 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 18.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-08-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-08-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-31 | EF1 | 1 | 40 | 27.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-03-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-06-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 29.1 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Winnebago County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 11, 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | ROCKFORD | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2024 | Flash Flood | ROCKFORD | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Nov 16, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Nov 22, 2010 | Tornado | ROCK CUT STATE PARK | 0 | 6 | $500K |
| Jul 26, 2023 | Lightning | WINNEBAGO | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 22, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | (RFD)GTR ROCKFORD AR | 0 | 1 | $50K |
| Sep 21, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | LOVES PARK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Around 2115 CST, a pickup truck with two people inside attempted to drive through moving flood waters in a parking lot due to flash flooding of Keith Creek near Charles Street and 22nd Street. The pickup truck was swept away by the flood waters. The driver was able to escape but was swept underneath a culvert at 22nd Street before being rescued. A 76 year old passenger became trapped in the pickup truck and drowned.
Over 6 inches of rain fell over southeast Rockford in a three hour period. The runoff quickly overwhelmed Keith and Madigan Creeks in Rockford as well as other streams across eastern Winnebago County. Hardest hit areas included the Keith Creek watershed in southeast Rockford, the same area that experienced flash flooding on Labor Day 2006. Twenty intersections flooded in Rockford with six cars stranded in flood waters. Illinois Central railroad tracks washed out at Malford Road just south of Harrison.
Very heavy rain fell across Winnebago County producing widespread flooding and flash flooding, including creek and river flooding. Significant flooding was reported near Keith Creek in the Churchill Park area on the east side of Rockford. Route 2 was flooded and impassible near South Beloit Road.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
283,292
Population (ACS)
$165K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODNG | DR |
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| May 10, 2013 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 17, 2011 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Aug 19, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Rockford 155
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Winnebago County, Illinois?
692 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $40.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Winnebago County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 342 recorded events — 49.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Winnebago County?
23 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 20 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Winnebago County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Winnebago County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Winnebago County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Winnebago County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 92 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Winnebago 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
- Williamson County 375
- Woodford County 437
- Will County 1,250
- Whiteside County 557
- White County 413
- Wayne County 312
Cite this page
“Winnebago County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/winnebago-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.