NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Carmi, 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 Carmi, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 86 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 86
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for Carmi
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Carmi; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1915, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 5 miles away. The record near Carmi begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 27 miles away. Carmi has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The highest rating among the 86 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on February 29, 2012, came within 20 miles. Of the 86, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 59 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 91% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Carmi. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 38 times since 1978, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 91% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Carmi.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Carmi
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Carmi: 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 Carmi
By decade
- 2020s25(1 EF3+)
- 2010s25(2 EF3+)
- 2000s9(1 EF3+)
- 1990s4(2 EF3+)
- 1980s11
- 1970s7
- 1960s4
- 1950s1(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF4 | 20 mi | 26.09 mi | 8 / 108 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 16 mi | 106 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Feb 28, 2017 | EF3 | 4 mi | 44.13 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Apr 21, 2002 | F3 | 18 mi | 31.5 mi | 1 / 42 |
| Jul 9, 2024 | EF3 | 17 mi | 5.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 18 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 18, 1957 | F3 | 11 mi | 19.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jan 29, 2008 | EF2 | 17 mi | 7.01 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 25 mi | 10.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 2024 | EF2 | 21 mi | 8.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 24 mi | 14.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 13 mi | 11.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 86, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Carmi
The Storm Prediction Center has 38 hail reports within 10 miles of Carmi since 1978, made on 35 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently April 24, 2002. The most recent report is from March 30, 2024. August has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Carmi
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Carmi 3, IL, 2 miles southwest of Carmi at 335 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 21°F. April and May are the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 48.3 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 38 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 103 nights a year. Snowfall averages 11.7 inches a year, most of it in February. That 48.3 inches is more than at 138 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (95%). New Harmony, IN, 13 miles east, has its own station (Grayville, IL): 50.1 inches a year, 1.8 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 21 | 3.5 | 6 | 2.5 |
| Feb | 46 | 23 | 3.1 | 6 | 4.9 |
| Mar | 56 | 33 | 4.4 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Apr | 68 | 43 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 63 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 66 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 63 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 55 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 43 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 56 | 32 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 45 | 25 | 3.9 | 7 | 2.1 |
| Year | 67 | 43 | 48.3 | 77 | 11.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Carmi 3, IL (335 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 Carmi
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 227 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Carmi: 152 floods, 58 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 heavy rain events, 7 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 15, and the NWS estimated $3.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 120 mph, on April 19, 2011. July has had the most flash floods, 3 of 7. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 70 have had fewer than Carmi.
June 20, 2019: flood 7 miles from the centre of Carmi — 10 injured, $30,000 damage.
October 24, 2001: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Carmi — 2 injured, $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Damaging straight-line winds raked northern White County, downing trees and power lines, and destroying at least one pole barn. On County Road 800 East, a school bus was stopped when it was caught between fallen trees.”
April 9, 2011: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Carmi — 2 injured.
NWS: “A man and his son were struck by lightning while hunting. The lightning apparently struck the barrel of a shotgun being carried by the son.”
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 Carmi's ZIP code 62821 have filed 76 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Mid-spring storms in 2011: 22 claims (29% of all) and $737,000. 37% 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, 191 have fewer than Carmi.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-spring storms2011 | 22 | $737,000 |
White County, which includes Carmi, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1983, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives White County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, 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 $14.9 million a year, the 59th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.6 million (31%), 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 Carmi
- Norris City, IL11 mi
- New Harmony, IN13 mi
- Mount Vernon, IN18 mi
- Albion, IL20 mi
- Wadesville, IN20 mi
- Mc Leansboro, IL21 mi
- Poseyville, IN21 mi
- Fairfield, IL23 mi
- Eldorado, IL24 mi
- Owensville, IN27 mi
- Wayne City, IL29 mi
- Mount Carmel, IL29 mi
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