NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Athens, IL
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Athens, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 158 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 158
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Athens
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Athens; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 73 miles away. The record near Athens begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Athens has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 43% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 158 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 14, 1957; its path came within 15 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 158, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 88 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 41. The most recent tornado was on September 20, 2025. Athens has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 65% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 111 times since 1964, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Athens has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 548 Illinois cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Athens
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Athens: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Athens
By decade
- 2020s27
- 2010s17(1 EF3+)
- 2000s44(1 EF3+)
- 1990s20(1 EF3+)
- 1980s10
- 1970s21(2 EF3+)
- 1960s10(2 EF3+)
- 1950s9(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 1957 | F4 | 15 mi | 4.3 mi | 2 / 50 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 9 mi | 42.9 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Jun 27, 1951 | F3 | 23 mi | 18.2 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Dec 31, 2010 | EF3 | 7 mi | 3.63 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 19, 2009 | EF3 | 7 mi | 24.27 mi | 0 / 19 |
| May 9, 1995 | F3 | 4 mi | 50 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 26, 1978 | F3 | 6 mi | 8.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 6, 1977 | F3 | 21 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1968 | F3 | 18 mi | 12.6 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Aug 6, 2023 | EF2 | 25 mi | 25.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 2023 | EF2 | 19 mi | 9.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 13 mi | 21.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 158, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Athens
The Storm Prediction Center has 111 hail reports within 10 miles of Athens since 1964, made on 73 separate days. Of these, 64 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 8, 2020. The most recent report is from May 15, 2025. May has the most reports, 33.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Athens
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Athens 4SW, IL, 7 miles southwest of Athens at 594 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 18°F. May is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 38.5 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 121 nights a year. That 38.5 inches is more than at 44 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (30%). Sherman, 8 miles southeast, has its own station (Springfield Capital Airport, IL): 38.2 inches a year, 0.3 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 18 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Feb | 40 | 21 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Mar | 52 | 30 | 2.7 | 6 |
| Apr | 64 | 40 | 3.9 | 7 |
| May | 74 | 51 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 81 | 61 | 4.2 | 8 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Aug | 83 | 62 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Sep | 78 | 54 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Oct | 66 | 43 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Nov | 53 | 33 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Dec | 40 | 23 | 2.3 | 5 |
| Year | 62 | 42 | 38.5 | 71 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Athens 4SW, IL (594 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Athens
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 183 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Athens: 157 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods, 3 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $31.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on August 12, 1999. July has had the most flash floods, 6 of 22. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 328 have had fewer than Athens.
June 28, 1998: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Athens — 3 injured.
July 12, 2008: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Athens — 2 injured, $40,000 damage.
NWS: “Two 8-inch diameter culverts were washed out on Harvest Road southwest of Athens. A car plunged into the void, resulting in two minor injuries.”
July 19, 1997: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Athens — 1 injured.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds blew a tent over in a park in Athens resulting in a minor injury to one person. Also, numerous power lines and tree limbs were blown down.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Menard County, which includes Athens, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Menard County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.1 million a year, the 86th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.0 million (37%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Athens
- Sherman, IL8 mi
- Petersburg, IL9 mi
- Riverton, IL12 mi
- Springfield, IL14 mi
- Pleasant Plains, IL14 mi
- Mason City, IL15 mi
- New Berlin, IL20 mi
- Lincoln, IL20 mi
- Rochester, IL20 mi
- Mount Pulaski, IL20 mi
- Chatham, IL21 mi
- Auburn, IL27 mi
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