NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Byron, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Byron, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 89 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 89
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
29 deaths in all
What the records show for Byron
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Byron; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 18 miles away. Of the 548 Illinois cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Byron. The highest rating among the 89 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 9, 2015, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 21, 1967, killed 24 people. Of the 89, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 51 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on June 3, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 89% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Byron. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 56 times since 1960, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 76% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Byron.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Byron
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Byron: 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 Byron
By decade
- 2020s27
- 2010s14(1 EF3+)
- 2000s10
- 1990s13
- 1980s4
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 1967 | F4 | 19 mi | 25.5 mi | 24 / 450 |
| Apr 9, 2015 | EF4 | 13 mi | 30.14 mi | 2 / 11 |
| Aug 5, 1979 | F3 | 17 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 6, 1972 | F2 | 17 mi | 17.5 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Oct 8, 1958 | F2 | 20 mi | 81 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 2010 | EF2 | 21 mi | 18.1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 8, 1993 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 17, 1979 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1975 | F2 | 22 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 30, 1958 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 18, 1955 | F2 | 24 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF1 | 7 mi | 27.51 mi | 1 / 40 |
The strongest 12 of 89, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Byron
The Storm Prediction Center has 56 hail reports within 10 miles of Byron since 1960, made on 41 separate days. Of these, 39 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 7, 2020. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Byron
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rockford Gtr Rockford Airport, IL, 10 miles northeast of Byron at 730 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 29°F and 15°F. June is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 1.6 inches; the year adds up to 37.2 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 136 nights a year. Snowfall averages 37.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 37.2 inches is more than at 18 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (12%). Oregon, 9 miles southwest, has its own station (Polo 5NW, IL): 40.1 inches a year, 2.9 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 15 | 1.6 | 4 | 10.9 |
| Feb | 33 | 18 | 1.6 | 4 | 8.5 |
| Mar | 47 | 28 | 2.4 | 5 | 4.9 |
| Apr | 60 | 39 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.9 |
| May | 71 | 50 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 60 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 64 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 62 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 54 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 42 | 2.6 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 47 | 31 | 2.3 | 5 | 2.3 |
| Dec | 34 | 20 | 1.9 | 5 | 9.4 |
| Year | 59 | 40 | 37.2 | 69 | 37.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rockford Gtr Rockford Airport, IL (730 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 Byron
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 140 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Byron: 121 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 floods, 6 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $4.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on August 4, 2008. August has had the most flash floods, 3 of 6. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 51 have had fewer than Byron.
May 22, 2011: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Byron — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
August 7, 2007: flood 10 miles from the centre of Byron — $2.0 million damage.
July 13, 2024: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Byron — $2.0 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 Byron's ZIP code 61010 have filed 52 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $595,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1996: 12 claims (23% of all) and $78,000. 35% 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, 163 have fewer than Byron.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1996 | 12 | $78,000 |
Ogle County, which includes Byron, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 snowstorms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ogle County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $36.1 million a year, the 25th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.1 million (58%), 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 Byron
- Stillman Valley, IL4 mi
- Davis Junction, IL9 mi
- Oregon, IL9 mi
- Winnebago, IL10 mi
- Mount Morris, IL11 mi
- Pecatonica, IL13 mi
- Rockford, IL14 mi
- Rochelle, IL17 mi
- Cherry Valley, IL17 mi
- Loves Park, IL18 mi
- Machesney Park, IL19 mi
- Polo, IL19 mi
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