NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Columbia, 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 Columbia, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 177 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 19 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 177
- EF3 or stronger
- 19
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
49 deaths in all
What the records show for Columbia
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Columbia; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 49 mph winds when its centre passed 14 miles away. The record near Columbia begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Columbia has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The highest rating among the 177 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 5 times; the most recent, on April 22, 2011, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on February 10, 1959, killed 21 people. Of the 177, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 87 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 55. The most recent tornado was on May 19, 2025. Columbia has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 81% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 246 times since 1959, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Columbia has more hail reports within 10 miles than 95% of the 548 Illinois cities.
Compare Columbia's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Columbia
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 13 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 Columbia: 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 Columbia
By decade
- 2020s35(1 EF3+)
- 2010s30(4 EF3+)
- 2000s22(1 EF3+)
- 1990s26
- 1980s14(5 EF3+)
- 1970s15(1 EF3+)
- 1960s14(3 EF3+)
- 1950s21(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 10, 1959 | F4 | 13 mi | 23.9 mi | 21 / 345 |
| Feb 24, 1956 | F4 | 6 mi | 77.6 mi | 6 / 36 |
| Jan 24, 1967 | F4 | 22 mi | 25 mi | 3 / 216 |
| Apr 22, 2011 | EF4 | 20 mi | 21.3 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 3, 1981 | F4 | 20 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 32 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF3 | 23 mi | 4.22 mi | 6 / 1 |
| May 15, 1968 | F3 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 4 / 60 |
| Dec 31, 2010 | EF3 | 13 mi | 6.65 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Apr 22, 1981 | F3 | 17 mi | 7.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1958 | F3 | 21 mi | 60.5 mi | 1 / 8 |
| May 31, 2013 | EF3 | 25 mi | 10.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 2013 | EF3 | 22 mi | 31.71 mi | 0 / 8 |
The strongest 12 of 177, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Columbia
The Storm Prediction Center has 246 hail reports within 10 miles of Columbia since 1959, made on 129 separate days. Of these, 158 were 1 inch across or larger, and 17 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 25, 2011. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. April has the most reports, 68.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Columbia
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cahokia, IL, 9 miles north of Columbia at 400 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 22°F. July is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 42.9 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 39 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 97 nights a year. Snowfall averages 13.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 42.9 inches is more than at 115 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (79%). Millstadt, 6 miles east, has its own station (Cahokia St Louis Airport, IL): 41.0 inches a year, 1.9 less than here, and the same July average high, 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 22 | 2.7 | 6 | 4.9 |
| Feb | 46 | 26 | 2.3 | 5 | 3.7 |
| Mar | 56 | 35 | 3.6 | 7 | 1.2 |
| Apr | 68 | 45 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.3 |
| May | 76 | 56 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 65 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 69 | 5.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 67 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 59 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 46 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 56 | 35 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.8 |
| Dec | 45 | 27 | 2.8 | 6 | 2.9 |
| Year | 67 | 46 | 42.9 | 76 | 13.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cahokia, IL (400 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 Columbia
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 219 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Columbia: 178 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 flash floods, 11 floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 6 people and injured 9, and the NWS estimated $97.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on March 14, 2025. June has had the most flash floods, 6 of 27. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 377 have had fewer than Columbia.
July 19, 2020: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Columbia — 1 killed, 3 injured.
July 26, 2022: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Columbia — 1 killed, $85.0 million damage.
July 13, 2016: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Columbia — 1 killed.
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 Columbia's ZIP code 62236 have filed 103 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1993, and were paid $2.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Midwest Flooding in 1993: 79 claims (77% of all) and $2.1 million. 80% 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, 220 have fewer than Columbia.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Midwest Flooding1993 | 79 | $2.1 million |
Monroe County, which includes Columbia, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 floods, 7 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 Monroe County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.6 million a year, the 41st highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.4 million (28%), 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.