NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Catlin, 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 Catlin, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 122 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 122
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Catlin
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Catlin; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 6 miles away. The record near Catlin begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Catlin has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 122 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 20, 1976; its path came within 8 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 9, 1953, killed 3 people. Of the 122, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 55 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on October 3, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 58% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Catlin. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 86 times since 1974, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 56% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Catlin.
Compare Catlin's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Catlin
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | overhead | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 16 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 Catlin: 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 Catlin
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s26(2 EF3+)
- 2000s21
- 1990s24(1 EF3+)
- 1980s10
- 1970s14(4 EF3+)
- 1960s13(3 EF3+)
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 1976 | F4 | 8 mi | 63.7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | 10 mi | 156.7 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 14 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 13 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 23 mi | 5.9 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 25 mi | 29.83 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 18 mi | 18.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 19 mi | 25.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 10 mi | 14.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 18 mi | 38.6 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 24 mi | 31.8 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jul 21, 1961 | F3 | 15 mi | 23.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF2 | 13 mi | 3.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 122, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Catlin
The Storm Prediction Center has 86 hail reports within 10 miles of Catlin since 1974, made on 60 separate days. Of these, 49 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently May 16, 2019. The most recent report is from March 14, 2024. May has the most reports, 32.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Catlin
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Danville, IL, 6 miles northeast of Catlin at 555 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 20°F. June is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 43.2 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 19 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 112 nights a year. That 43.2 inches is more than at 116 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (79%). Georgetown, 7 miles southeast, has its own station (Perrysville 4 WNW, IN): 38.9 inches a year, 4.3 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 20 | 2.5 | 5 |
| Feb | 40 | 23 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Mar | 52 | 32 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Apr | 65 | 42 | 4.5 | 8 |
| May | 75 | 52 | 4.6 | 9 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 5.2 | 8 |
| Jul | 85 | 65 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Aug | 84 | 63 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Sep | 79 | 56 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Oct | 67 | 44 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Nov | 52 | 34 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Dec | 40 | 25 | 2.7 | 6 |
| Year | 63 | 43 | 43.2 | 78 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Danville, IL (555 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 Catlin
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 199 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Catlin: 191 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $3.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on June 19, 2009. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 28 have had fewer than Catlin.
June 29, 2023: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Catlin — 2 injured.
October 24, 2001: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Catlin — 1 injured.
June 19, 2009: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Catlin — $400,000 damage.
NWS: “Forty train cars were blown over just southwest of Tilton.”
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
Vermilion County, which includes Catlin, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 tornadoes, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on August 15, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Vermilion County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate 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 $32.3 million a year, the 30th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.8 million (43%), 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.