NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bethalto, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bethalto, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 143 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 17 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 143
- EF3 or stronger
- 17
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
45 deaths in all
What the records show for Bethalto
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bethalto; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 51 mph winds when its centre passed 32 miles away. The record near Bethalto begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Bethalto has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The highest rating among the 143 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 5 times; the most recent, on April 22, 2011, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on February 10, 1959, killed 21 people. Of the 143, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 79 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 33. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Bethalto has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 55% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 167 times since 1961, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Bethalto has more hail reports within 10 miles than 72% of the 548 Illinois cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bethalto
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 9 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 Bethalto: 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 Bethalto
By decade
- 2020s20(1 EF3+)
- 2010s25(3 EF3+)
- 2000s34
- 1990s13
- 1980s9(4 EF3+)
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s14(3 EF3+)
- 1950s18(5 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 10, 1959 | F4 | 18 mi | 23.9 mi | 21 / 345 |
| Feb 24, 1956 | F4 | 24 mi | 77.6 mi | 6 / 36 |
| Jan 24, 1967 | F4 | 8 mi | 25 mi | 3 / 216 |
| Apr 22, 2011 | EF4 | 13 mi | 21.3 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 3, 1981 | F4 | 8 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 32 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF3 | 10 mi | 4.22 mi | 6 / 1 |
| Dec 2, 1950 | F3 | 23 mi | 18 mi | 2 / 25 |
| May 31, 2013 | EF3 | 6 mi | 10.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 2013 | EF3 | 12 mi | 31.71 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Nov 15, 1988 | F3 | 17 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 1983 | F3 | 8 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | F3 | 11 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 15 |
The strongest 12 of 143, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bethalto
The Storm Prediction Center has 167 hail reports within 10 miles of Bethalto since 1961, made on 111 separate days. Of these, 89 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 12, 2000. The most recent report is from August 12, 2025. April has the most reports, 53.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bethalto
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Alton - Melvin Price L&D, IL, 7 miles southwest of Bethalto at 405 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 22°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 41.9 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 29 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 85 nights a year. That 41.9 inches is more than at 105 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (72%). Brighton, 10 miles northwest, has its own station (Jerseyville 2 SW, IL): 42.4 inches a year, 0.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 22 | 2.5 | 5 |
| Feb | 44 | 25 | 2.5 | 5 |
| Mar | 54 | 35 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Apr | 66 | 45 | 4.9 | 8 |
| May | 75 | 56 | 5.5 | 9 |
| Jun | 84 | 66 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Jul | 87 | 69 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Aug | 86 | 67 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Sep | 80 | 60 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Oct | 68 | 48 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Nov | 54 | 37 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Dec | 44 | 27 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Year | 65 | 46 | 41.9 | 72 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Alton - Melvin Price L&D, IL (405 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 Bethalto
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 185 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bethalto: 173 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods and 2 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on June 14, 1998. May has had the most flash floods, 3 of 10. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 125 have had fewer than Bethalto.
February 20, 2014: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Bethalto — 1 injured.
August 10, 2005: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Bethalto — $1.0 million damage.
August 27, 2000: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Bethalto — $100,000 damage.
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Bethalto's ZIP code 62010 have filed 24 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $81,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 25% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 320 Illinois cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 85 have fewer than Bethalto.
Madison County, which includes Bethalto, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Madison County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $154.9 million a year, the 7th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $56.2 million (36%), 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 Bethalto
- Cottage Hills, IL2 mi
- East Alton, IL4 mi
- Wood River, IL5 mi
- South Roxana, IL6 mi
- Alton, IL6 mi
- Edwardsville, IL8 mi
- Godfrey, IL10 mi
- Bunker Hill, IL10 mi
- Brighton, IL10 mi
- Worden, IL11 mi
- Glen Carbon, IL11 mi
- Maryville, IL14 mi
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