NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Clinton, 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 Clinton, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 203 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 203
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Clinton
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Clinton; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 56 miles away. The record near Clinton begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Clinton has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 203 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 5, 1977; its path came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on May 15, 1968, killed 4 people. Of the 203, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 107 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 51. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Clinton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 97% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 59 times since 1980, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 73% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Clinton.
Compare Clinton's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Clinton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 49 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 Clinton: 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 Clinton
By decade
- 2020s22
- 2010s21
- 2000s64(1 EF3+)
- 1990s32(3 EF3+)
- 1980s22
- 1970s23(2 EF3+)
- 1960s9(2 EF3+)
- 1950s10(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1977 | F4 | 15 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 14 mi | 20.9 mi | 1 / 26 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 21 mi | 42.9 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Jun 27, 1951 | F3 | 12 mi | 18.2 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Aug 19, 2009 | EF3 | 10 mi | 24.27 mi | 0 / 19 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 19 mi | 14.5 mi | 0 / 29 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 19 mi | 9.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 9, 1995 | F3 | 10 mi | 50 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 18 mi | 31.8 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 27, 1951 | F3 | 14 mi | 9.6 mi | 0 / 35 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 16 mi | 21.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 1, 2018 | EF2 | 21 mi | 2.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 203, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Clinton
The Storm Prediction Center has 59 hail reports within 10 miles of Clinton since 1980, made on 45 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 28, 2003. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. April has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Clinton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lincoln, IL, 20 miles west of Clinton at 583 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 18°F. July is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 39.9 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 126 nights a year. Snowfall averages 19.3 inches a year, most of it in February. That 39.9 inches is more than at 76 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (52%). Maroa, 8 miles south, has its own station (Decatur Wtp, IL): 40.4 inches a year, 0.5 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 18 | 2.2 | 5 | 5.7 |
| Feb | 40 | 22 | 1.9 | 5 | 6.2 |
| Mar | 52 | 31 | 2.7 | 6 | 1.8 |
| Apr | 64 | 41 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 52 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 64 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 61 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 53 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 42 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 51 | 32 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.6 |
| Dec | 39 | 23 | 2.3 | 6 | 4.9 |
| Year | 63 | 42 | 39.9 | 72 | 19.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lincoln, IL (583 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 Clinton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 128 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Clinton: 116 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $10.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on June 29, 1998. May has had the most flash floods, 3 of 9. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 107 have had fewer than Clinton.
August 26, 2014: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Clinton — $5.0 million damage.
NWS: “00 of rain within one hour in parts of central DeWitt County, including the city of Clinton. The flash flooding resulted in the closure of numerous streets and viaducts in Clinton, as well as basement flooding to numerous homes and businesses.”
August 12, 1999: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Clinton — $2.2 million damage.
June 29, 1998: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Clinton — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “In DeWitt County, a strong microburst (100 to 110 mph) hit around the Clinton Nuclear Power Plant facility and the adjacent Clinton Lake recreation area. The nuclear plant lost three high voltage transmission lines, though there was no structural damage to the facility.”
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 Clinton's ZIP code 61727 have filed 52 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $340,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1994: 23 claims (44% of all) and $251,000. The year with the most claims was 1979, with 21. 46% 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, 163 have fewer than Clinton.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1994 | 23 | $251,000 |
De Witt County, which includes Clinton, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 2 snowstorms, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on August 15, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives De Witt County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.5 million a year, the 80th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.5 million (37%), 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 Clinton
- Maroa, IL8 mi
- Heyworth, IL12 mi
- Oakley, IL14 mi
- Forsyth, IL15 mi
- Atlanta, IL17 mi
- Le Roy, IL18 mi
- Farmer City, IL18 mi
- Downs, IL18 mi
- Mount Pulaski, IL20 mi
- Decatur, IL20 mi
- Lincoln, IL21 mi
- Monticello, IL22 mi
All Illinois cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Clinton with another place →