NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bloomington, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bloomington, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 178 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 178
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Bloomington
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bloomington; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 72 miles away. The record near Bloomington begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Bloomington has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The highest rating among the 178 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 13, 2004, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on May 15, 1968, killed 4 people. Of the 178, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 74 have come since 2000. May and June have had the most tornadoes, 47 each. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Bloomington has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 81% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 113 times since 1961, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Bloomington has more hail reports within 10 miles than 55% of the 548 Illinois cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bloomington
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 69 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 Bloomington: 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 Bloomington
By decade
- 2020s18
- 2010s11
- 2000s45(2 EF3+)
- 1990s33(2 EF3+)
- 1980s27
- 1970s27(2 EF3+)
- 1960s10
- 1950s7(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 13, 2004 | F4 | 24 mi | 9.6 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 5, 1977 | F4 | 12 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 27, 1951 | F3 | 16 mi | 18.2 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Aug 19, 2009 | EF3 | 24 mi | 24.27 mi | 0 / 19 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 13 mi | 9.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 9, 1995 | F3 | 19 mi | 50 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 19 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 1, 2018 | EF2 | 15 mi | 2.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 2004 | F2 | 19 mi | 13.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 2003 | F2 | 23 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 30, 2003 | F2 | 23 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 2003 | F2 | 24 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 178, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bloomington
The Storm Prediction Center has 113 hail reports within 10 miles of Bloomington since 1961, made on 62 separate days. Of these, 63 were 1 inch across or larger, and 10 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on November 17, 2013. 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 Bloomington
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Normal 4NE, IL, 6 miles north of Bloomington at 790 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 16°F. May is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 39.3 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 26 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 133 nights a year. Snowfall averages 20.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 39.3 inches is more than at 63 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (43%). Heyworth, 10 miles south, has its own station (Bloomington 5W, IL): 40.6 inches a year, 1.3 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 16 | 2.4 | 6 | 7.5 |
| Feb | 38 | 19 | 2.0 | 5 | 5.5 |
| Mar | 50 | 28 | 2.6 | 6 | 2.2 |
| Apr | 63 | 38 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.5 |
| May | 74 | 50 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 60 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 63 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 61 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 53 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 42 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 50 | 31 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.8 |
| Dec | 38 | 21 | 2.3 | 6 | 3.6 |
| Year | 62 | 40 | 39.3 | 76 | 20.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Normal 4NE, IL (790 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 Bloomington
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 179 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bloomington: 158 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods, 4 lightning strikes and 2 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $4.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 28, 1998. June has had the most flash floods, 6 of 15. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 245 have had fewer than Bloomington.
June 27, 2009: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Bloomington — 1 killed, 3 injured, $35,000 damage.
June 15, 2008: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Bloomington — 1 injured, $40,000 damage.
June 29, 1998: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Bloomington — $1.1 million 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 Bloomington's 3 ZIP codes have filed 64 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $509,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1982: 13 claims (20% of all) and $59,000. 23% 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, 186 have fewer than Bloomington.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1982 | 13 | $59,000 |
McLean County, which includes Bloomington, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives McLean County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $81.3 million a year, the 13th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $33.5 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.
Cities near Bloomington
- Normal, IL3 mi
- Downs, IL8 mi
- Heyworth, IL10 mi
- Hudson, IL11 mi
- Danvers, IL12 mi
- Le Roy, IL14 mi
- Lexington, IL15 mi
- El Paso, IL18 mi
- Mackinaw, IL20 mi
- Atlanta, IL20 mi
- Clinton, IL22 mi
- Farmer City, IL23 mi
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