NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Breese, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Breese, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 124 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 124
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
16 deaths in all
What the records show for Breese
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Breese; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 51 mph winds when its centre passed 1 mile away. The record near Breese begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 54 miles away. Of the 5 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Breese is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The highest rating among the 124 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on November 17, 2013, came within 14 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on February 24, 1956, killed 6 people. Of the 124, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 69 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 32. The most recent tornado was on April 30, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 56% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Breese. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 78 times since 1960, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 61% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Breese.
Compare Breese's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Breese
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 23 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 Breese: 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 Breese
By decade
- 2020s19
- 2010s18(1 EF3+)
- 2000s32
- 1990s16
- 1980s6(2 EF3+)
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s12
- 1950s13(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 24, 1956 | F4 | in town | 77.6 mi | 6 / 36 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF4 | 14 mi | 10.59 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Dec 2, 1982 | F3 | 5 mi | 10.5 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Dec 2, 1950 | F3 | 12 mi | 18 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Apr 5, 1958 | F3 | in town | 60.5 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Nov 15, 1988 | F3 | 19 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 1976 | F3 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F2 | 23 mi | 7 mi | 1 / 11 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 12 mi | 22.83 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 8 mi | 11.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 2011 | EF2 | 9 mi | 18.19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF2 | 14 mi | 2.34 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 124, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Breese
The Storm Prediction Center has 78 hail reports within 10 miles of Breese since 1960, made on 50 separate days. Of these, 55 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 30, 2004. The most recent report is from April 30, 2025. April has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Breese
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Carlyle Rsvr, IL, 9 miles east of Breese at 501 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 22°F. May is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 46.0 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 32 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 101 nights a year. That 46.0 inches is more than at 131 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (90%). Trenton, 8 miles west, has its own station (Belleville Siu Rsch, IL): 43.4 inches a year, 2.6 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 22 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Feb | 45 | 25 | 2.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 55 | 35 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Apr | 67 | 45 | 4.9 | 8 |
| May | 76 | 56 | 5.2 | 9 |
| Jun | 85 | 65 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Jul | 88 | 68 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Aug | 87 | 66 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Sep | 81 | 58 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Oct | 70 | 46 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Nov | 55 | 36 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Dec | 43 | 26 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Year | 66 | 46 | 46.0 | 75 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Carlyle Rsvr, IL (501 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 Breese
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 136 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Breese: 120 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $376,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on March 14, 2025. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 15. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 245 have had fewer than Breese.
October 4, 2000: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Breese — $210,000 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 Breese's ZIP code 62230 have filed 11 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1984, and were paid $296,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 64% 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, 6 have fewer than Breese.
Clinton County, which includes Breese, has been named in 7 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 1 hurricane, 1 severe storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Clinton County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $27.6 million a year, the 36th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.4 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.