NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Charleston, 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 Charleston, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 94 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 94
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Charleston
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Charleston; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 6 miles away. The record near Charleston begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Charleston has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The highest rating among the 94 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on August 21, 1977, came within 16 miles. Of the 94, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 35 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 84% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Charleston. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 70 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 65% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Charleston.
Compare Charleston's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Charleston
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | overhead | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 10 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 Charleston: 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 Charleston
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s7
- 2000s14
- 1990s20
- 1980s12
- 1970s15(2 EF3+)
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 21, 1977 | F3 | 16 mi | 26.9 mi | 6 / 56 |
| Aug 10, 1974 | F3 | 4 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 21 mi | 38.6 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Jul 11, 1958 | F3 | 3 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 14 mi | 48.91 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 8 mi | 12.88 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF2 | 9 mi | 15.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 7, 1998 | F2 | 20 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Mar 28, 1998 | F2 | 10 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 25, 1984 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 1980 | F2 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Aug 10, 1974 | F2 | 6 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 94, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Charleston
The Storm Prediction Center has 70 hail reports within 10 miles of Charleston since 1955, made on 47 separate days. Of these, 39 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on July 9, 1992. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Charleston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Charleston, IL, 2 miles south of Charleston at 700 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 21°F. April is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 43.6 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 34 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 105 nights a year. Snowfall averages 19.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 43.6 inches is more than at 119 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (82%). Mattoon, 11 miles west, has its own station (Mattoon, IL): 41.5 inches a year, 2.1 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 21 | 2.5 | 6 | 8.1 |
| Feb | 43 | 25 | 2.7 | 5 | 5.5 |
| Mar | 54 | 34 | 3.1 | 7 | 1.3 |
| Apr | 67 | 44 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.3 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 63 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 66 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 64 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 57 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 46 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 54 | 35 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Dec | 42 | 26 | 2.8 | 6 | 3.0 |
| Year | 66 | 45 | 43.6 | 78 | 19.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Charleston, IL (700 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 Charleston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 97 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Charleston: 78 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 5 floods and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 29, 1998. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 12. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 179 have had fewer than Charleston.
June 6, 2008: flood 9 miles from the centre of Charleston — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Copious amounts of rain, ranging from 9 to 11 inches fell across Clark County, mainly on June 6th. Nearly 100 homes were damaged by the flooding, and every county road was under water.”
January 29, 2013: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Charleston — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Strong thunderstorm winds snapped 64 power poles along Illinois Route 16 near Ashmore. 30 poles were snapped west of Ashmore and 34 east of town.”
April 30, 1997: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Charleston — $126,000 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 Charleston's ZIP code 61920 have filed 18 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1996, and were paid $351,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. Of the 320 Illinois cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 62 have fewer than Charleston.
Coles County, which includes Charleston, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 2 tornadoes, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on August 15, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Coles County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $30.8 million a year, the 33rd highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.9 million (55%), 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 Charleston
- Mattoon, IL11 mi
- Arcola, IL14 mi
- Toledo, IL16 mi
- Casey, IL17 mi
- Greenup, IL17 mi
- Neoga, IL19 mi
- Martinsville, IL20 mi
- Arthur, IL21 mi
- Tuscola, IL21 mi
- Sullivan, IL24 mi
- Villa Grove, IL25 mi
- Marshall, IL26 mi
All Illinois cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Charleston with another place →