NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Auburn, 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 Auburn, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 164 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 164
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Auburn
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Auburn; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 56 miles away. The record near Auburn begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Auburn has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 43% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 164 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 14, 1957; its path came within 12 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 164, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 87 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 37. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Auburn has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 69% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 130 times since 1961, with stones up to 3.25 inches. Auburn has more hail reports within 10 miles than 60% of the 548 Illinois cities.
Compare Auburn's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Auburn
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 39 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 Auburn: 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 Auburn
By decade
- 2020s28
- 2010s24(2 EF3+)
- 2000s35
- 1990s23(2 EF3+)
- 1980s9
- 1970s27(3 EF3+)
- 1960s12(2 EF3+)
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 1957 | F4 | 12 mi | 4.3 mi | 2 / 50 |
| Jun 1, 1999 | F3 | 16 mi | 10 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 18 mi | 42.9 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Dec 1, 2018 | EF3 | 22 mi | 12.49 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Apr 19, 2011 | EF3 | 10 mi | 4.32 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 9, 1995 | F3 | 20 mi | 50 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 26, 1978 | F3 | 15 mi | 8.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 6, 1977 | F3 | 3 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F3 | 12 mi | 8.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 24, 1961 | F3 | 11 mi | 64.2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 6, 2023 | EF2 | 10 mi | 25.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 2023 | EF2 | 7 mi | 9.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 164, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Auburn
The Storm Prediction Center has 130 hail reports within 10 miles of Auburn since 1961, made on 65 separate days. Of these, 83 were 1 inch across or larger, and 11 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.25 inches, fell on May 7, 2023. The most recent report is from May 20, 2025. May has the most reports, 49.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Auburn
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Virden, IL, 6 miles south of Auburn at 675 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 21°F. June is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 38.4 inches over 63 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 25 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 101 nights a year. Snowfall averages 16.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.4 inches is more than at 42 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (29%). Chatham, 7 miles northeast, has its own station (Springfield #2, IL): 40.5 inches a year, 2.1 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 21 | 2.0 | 4 | 6.7 |
| Feb | 42 | 25 | 2.3 | 4 | 3.1 |
| Mar | 54 | 34 | 2.5 | 6 | 2.3 |
| Apr | 67 | 45 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 55 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 65 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 68 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 66 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 58 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 47 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 52 | 35 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 41 | 26 | 2.4 | 4 | 3.3 |
| Year | 64 | 45 | 38.4 | 63 | 16.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Virden, IL (675 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 Auburn
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 139 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Auburn: 126 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 31, 2013. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 151 have had fewer than Auburn.
April 19, 2011: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Auburn — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Several outbuildings, garages, and grain bins were damaged along Johns Creek Road.”
May 8, 1996: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Auburn — $150,000 damage.
April 19, 2011: thunderstorm wind in Auburn — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Several farm buildings were damaged.”
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
Sangamon County, which includes Auburn, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on August 15, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Sangamon County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $114.8 million a year, the 10th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $46.7 million (41%), 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.