NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Chillicothe, 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
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Chillicothe, Illinois since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 140 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 140
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Chillicothe
The highest rating among the 140 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on November 17, 2013, came within 15 miles. Of the 140, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 74 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Chillicothe has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 53% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 68 times since 1966, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 68% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Chillicothe.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Chillicothe
By decade
- 2020s25
- 2010s30(2 EF3+)
- 2000s19(2 EF3+)
- 1990s23
- 1980s6
- 1970s20(3 EF3+)
- 1960s14(3 EF3+)
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF4 | 15 mi | 46.36 mi | 3 / 125 |
| Jul 13, 2004 | F4 | 12 mi | 9.6 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 29, 1976 | F4 | 10 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2017 | EF3 | 8 mi | 17.77 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 2003 | F3 | 19 mi | 17.5 mi | 0 / 32 |
| Mar 4, 1976 | F3 | 20 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 17, 1972 | F3 | 12 mi | 81.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 14, 1965 | F3 | 13 mi | 6.6 mi | 0 / 30 |
| Apr 24, 1965 | F3 | 13 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 14, 1961 | F3 | 18 mi | 127.1 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Aug 13, 1956 | F3 | 15 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 2016 | EF2 | 18 mi | 7.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 140, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Chillicothe
The Storm Prediction Center has 68 hail reports within 10 miles of Chillicothe since 1966, made on 43 separate days. Of these, 36 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 6 days, most recently August 20, 2022. The most recent report is from May 15, 2025. June has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Chillicothe
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lacon, IL, 9 miles northeast of Chillicothe at 458 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 18°F. May is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 2.1 inches; the year adds up to 38.6 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 28 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 121 nights a year. Snowfall averages 24.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.6 inches is more than at 50 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (34%). Dunlap, 9 miles southwest, has its own station (Princeville, IL): 39.0 inches a year, 0.4 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 18 | 2.1 | 5 | 8.1 |
| Feb | 38 | 22 | 2.1 | 4 | 6.2 |
| Mar | 51 | 31 | 2.7 | 6 | 3.2 |
| Apr | 65 | 41 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.7 |
| May | 75 | 52 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 61 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 65 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 63 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 55 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 44 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 51 | 33 | 2.6 | 6 | 1.1 |
| Dec | 38 | 23 | 2.2 | 5 | 5.2 |
| Year | 63 | 42 | 38.6 | 73 | 24.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lacon, IL (458 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 Chillicothe
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 155 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Chillicothe: 118 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods, 12 floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $56.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on June 17, 2026. June has had the most flash floods, 8 of 22. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 328 have had fewer than Chillicothe.
May 1, 2013: flood 5 miles from the centre of Chillicothe — 1 killed, $28.0 million damage.
NWS: “ Numerous homes along the Illinois River in Chillicothe, Rome, Mossville and Mapleton suffered flood damage due to record river levels. Several businesses were damaged, and numerous streets were flooded, along the Illinois River in downtown Peoria.”
May 26, 2017: lightning strike 1 mile from the centre of Chillicothe — 2 injured.
NWS: “A thunderstorm triggered a lightning strike at an outdoor music festival near Chillicothe in northeast Peoria County. Two people were injured.”
April 19, 2013: flood 2 miles from the centre of Chillicothe — $13.8 million damage.
NWS: “Around 276 homes, two businesses, a fire station and numerous roads along the Illinois river in Spring Bay and Bay View Gardens were inundated, and suffered damage due to record river levels. 35 feet on April 23rd at 19:30 local time, which was nearly 12 feet above flood stage.”
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 Chillicothe's ZIP code 61523 have filed 1,133 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $9.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1985: 231 claims (20% of all) and $1.2 million, then Mid-spring storms in 2013 with 78 and Hurricane Ike in 2008 with 18. The year with the most claims was 1982, with 285. 30% 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, 317 have fewer than Chillicothe.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1985 | 231 | $1.2 million |
| Mid-spring storms2013 | 78 | $1.9 million |
| Hurricane Ike2008 | 18 | $238,000 |
Peoria County, which includes Chillicothe, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 5 snowstorms, 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 Peoria County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $84.7 million a year, the 12th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $32.2 million (38%), 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 Chillicothe
- Dunlap, IL9 mi
- Lacon, IL10 mi
- Metamora, IL10 mi
- Peoria Heights, IL12 mi
- Princeville, IL14 mi
- Peoria, IL14 mi
- Washington, IL15 mi
- Henry, IL15 mi
- Edwards, IL15 mi
- East Peoria, IL16 mi
- Wyoming, IL17 mi
- Roanoke, IL18 mi
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