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Storms That Hit

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cambridge, 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 Cambridge, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 148 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
1

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
148

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
4

no recorded deaths

What the records show for Cambridge

None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cambridge; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 55 miles away. Of the 548 Illinois cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Cambridge. The highest rating among the 148 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on May 9, 1995, came within 20 miles. Of the 148, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 75 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 40. The most recent tornado was on July 11, 2025. Cambridge has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 58% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 45 times since 1958, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 85% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Cambridge.

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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cambridge

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Cambridge, Illinois, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
1900Unnamed 1900 stormSep 1155 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 4

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Cambridge: 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 Cambridge

By decade

  • 2020s36
  • 2010s17
  • 2000s22
  • 1990s30(2 EF3+)
  • 1980s3
  • 1970s25(1 EF3+)
  • 1960s12(1 EF3+)
  • 1950s3
Strongest tornadoes near Cambridge, Illinois
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
May 9, 1995F320 mi22 mi0 / 0
Mar 13, 1990F322 mi15.5 mi0 / 1
Jun 14, 1974F323 mi48.6 mi0 / 2
Apr 19, 1966F322 mi2 mi0 / 0
Apr 4, 2023EF210 mi2.79 mi0 / 0
Apr 4, 2023EF216 mi0.52 mi0 / 0
Mar 31, 2023EF29 mi6.82 mi0 / 0
Mar 31, 2023EF215 mi9.32 mi0 / 0
Mar 31, 2023EF214 mi3.05 mi0 / 0
Mar 31, 2023EF210 mi3.55 mi0 / 0
May 17, 2017EF210 mi1.29 mi0 / 1
Mar 15, 2016EF220 mi4.78 mi0 / 10

The strongest 12 of 148, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Cambridge

The Storm Prediction Center has 45 hail reports within 10 miles of Cambridge since 1958, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 20, 2023. The most recent report is from May 15, 2025. May has the most reports, 13.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Cambridge

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Galva, IL, 11 miles southeast of Cambridge at 810 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 13°F. June is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.6 inches; the year adds up to 38.7 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 16 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 137 nights a year. That 38.7 inches is more than at 52 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (36%). Orion, 12 miles northwest, has its own station (Moline Quad City International Airport, IL): 38.2 inches a year, 0.5 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 84°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Galva, IL
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"
Jan30131.64
Feb35171.84
Mar48272.46
Apr61384.28
May73504.88
Jun82605.28
Jul84633.66
Aug82603.76
Sep77524.06
Oct64402.86
Nov48292.65
Dec36192.04
Year603938.768

Averages for 1991–2020 at Galva, IL (810 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.

Illinois weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Cambridge

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 72 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cambridge: 56 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $885,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 115 mph, on March 31, 2023. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 13. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 195 have had fewer than Cambridge.

  • June 18, 2009: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Cambridge — $275,000 damage.

  • September 13, 2008: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Cambridge — $250,000 damage.

    NWS: “ Near Cambridge, several basements were flooded.”

  • June 18, 2009: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Cambridge — $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

Henry County, which includes Cambridge, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Floodng, on September 20, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Henry County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $24.4 million a year, the 40th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.8 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 Cambridge

All Illinois cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Cambridge with another place →

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