NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cobden, 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 Cobden, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 129 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 129
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
26 deaths in all
What the records show for Cobden
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cobden; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 67 miles away. The record near Cobden begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 21 miles away. Of the 4 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Cobden has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The highest rating among the 129 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 6 times; the most recent, on May 16, 2025, came within 12 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on December 18, 1957, killed 11 people. Of the 129, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 81 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on June 7, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 53% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Cobden. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1969, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 79% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Cobden.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cobden
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 3 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 Cobden: 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 Cobden
By decade
- 2020s23(2 EF3+)
- 2010s37(1 EF3+)
- 2000s21(4 EF3+)
- 1990s14(1 EF3+)
- 1980s3(1 EF3+)
- 1970s19
- 1960s4
- 1950s8(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 18, 1957 | F4 | 15 mi | 28.3 mi | 11 / 200 |
| May 29, 1982 | F4 | 19 mi | 17 mi | 10 / 181 |
| May 6, 2003 | F4 | 22 mi | 33 mi | 2 / 33 |
| Feb 28, 2017 | EF4 | 24 mi | 53.47 mi | 1 / 12 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF4 | 12 mi | 16.28 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Sep 22, 2006 | F4 | 18 mi | 27.5 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 12 mi | 19.3 mi | 1 / 10 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 13 mi | 4.87 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 6, 2003 | F3 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 19, 1991 | F3 | 22 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 16 |
| May 21, 1957 | F3 | 4 mi | 8.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 15, 1971 | F2 | 24 mi | 27 mi | 1 / 26 |
The strongest 12 of 129, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cobden
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of Cobden since 1969, made on 41 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 9 days, most recently June 30, 2023. The most recent report is from February 22, 2024. April has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cobden
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Anna 2 NNE, IL, 4 miles south of Cobden at 640 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 25°F. May is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 51.1 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 43 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 95 nights a year. Snowfall averages 10.4 inches a year, most of it in February. That 51.1 inches is more than at 145 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (99%). Makanda, 7 miles northeast, has its own station (Carbondale Sewage Plt, IL): 49.0 inches a year, 2.1 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 25 | 3.5 | 6 | 2.6 |
| Feb | 50 | 29 | 3.4 | 6 | 4.0 |
| Mar | 61 | 37 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.9 |
| Apr | 71 | 46 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 56 | 5.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 65 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 67 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 59 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 48 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 59 | 37 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 48 | 30 | 4.1 | 7 | 2.6 |
| Year | 70 | 47 | 51.1 | 77 | 10.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Anna 2 NNE, IL (640 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 Cobden
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 100 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cobden: 71 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods, 10 floods, 3 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $4.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on February 29, 2012. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 15. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 245 have had fewer than Cobden.
June 16, 2019: flash flood in Cobden — 1 killed, $30,000 damage.
NWS: “Severe flash flooding impacted Union County. There were two water rescues in the county.”
May 5, 1996: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Cobden — 2 injured, $50,000 damage.
January 1, 2016: flood 10 miles from the centre of Cobden — $700,000 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
Union County, which includes Cobden, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Union County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.8 million a year, the 60th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.7 million (25%), 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 Cobden
- Anna, IL6 mi
- Makanda, IL7 mi
- Jonesboro, IL9 mi
- Carbondale, IL12 mi
- Dongola, IL13 mi
- Goreville, IL16 mi
- Murphysboro, IL17 mi
- Carterville, IL18 mi
- De Soto, IL20 mi
- Marion, IL22 mi
- Herrin, IL22 mi
- Vienna, IL22 mi
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