NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Dongola, 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 Dongola, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 119 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 119
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Dongola
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Dongola; the strongest was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm with 43 mph winds when its centre passed 13 miles away. The record near Dongola begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Olga in 2019. Dongola has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The highest rating among the 119 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 16, 2025, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on November 17, 2013, killed 3 people. Of the 119, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 80 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on June 7, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Dongola. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 68 times since 1963, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 68% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Dongola.
Compare Dongola's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Dongola
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 15 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 Dongola: 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 Dongola
By decade
- 2020s21(2 EF3+)
- 2010s34(1 EF3+)
- 2000s25(4 EF3+)
- 1990s9
- 1980s6
- 1970s14
- 1960s3
- 1950s7(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 2003 | F4 | 10 mi | 33 mi | 2 / 33 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF4 | 20 mi | 16.28 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 24 mi | 42.5 mi | 3 / 34 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | in town | 19.3 mi | 1 / 10 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 17 mi | 4.87 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 22, 2006 | F3 | 22 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 24 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 12, 1958 | F3 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 21, 1957 | F3 | 17 mi | 8.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 15, 1971 | F2 | 19 mi | 27 mi | 1 / 26 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 12 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | EF2 | 12 mi | 15.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 119, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Dongola
The Storm Prediction Center has 68 hail reports within 10 miles of Dongola since 1963, made on 54 separate days. Of these, 34 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 18, 2004. The most recent report is from April 18, 2024. April has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Dongola
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Anna 2 NNE, IL, 9 miles northwest of Dongola 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%). Vienna, 16 miles east, has its own station (Dixon Springs Agric Ctr, IL): 50.6 inches a year, 0.5 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 Dongola
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 95 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Dongola: 72 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods, 7 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $4.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on March 12, 2006. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 14. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 221 have had fewer than Dongola.
June 21, 2019: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Dongola — 1 killed, 1 injured, $20,000 damage.
NWS: “Damaging winds crossed parts of Pulaski County, downing numerous trees. S.”
May 5, 1996: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Dongola — 2 injured, $50,000 damage.
March 18, 2008: flood 7 miles from the centre of Dongola — $2.5 million damage.
NWS: “Ullin was especially hard hit. At least 50 homes in Ullin were flooded, along with the town's pump station.”
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 Dongola, 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.