NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Earlville, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Earlville, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 117 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 117
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
What the records show for Earlville
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Earlville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 59 miles away. Of the 548 Illinois cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Earlville. The highest rating among the 117 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 5 times; the most recent, on February 28, 2017, came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 20, 2004, killed 8 people. Of the 117, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 73 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 37. The most recent tornado was on March 14, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 62% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Earlville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 39 times since 1974, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 90% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Earlville.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Earlville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Earlville: 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 Earlville
By decade
- 2020s21
- 2010s32(1 EF3+)
- 2000s20(1 EF3+)
- 1990s7
- 1980s7
- 1970s18(2 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 20, 2004 | F3 | 19 mi | 15.8 mi | 8 / 12 |
| Feb 28, 2017 | EF3 | 18 mi | 11.5 mi | 2 / 14 |
| Dec 6, 1951 | F3 | 11 mi | 21.9 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Jun 30, 1977 | F3 | 3 mi | 6.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 17, 1972 | F3 | 21 mi | 81.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 6, 1972 | F2 | 21 mi | 17.5 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 16 mi | 9.29 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2016 | EF2 | 19 mi | 8.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2015 | EF2 | 14 mi | 7.8 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 20, 2004 | F2 | 14 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 1993 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1987 | F2 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 117, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Earlville
The Storm Prediction Center has 39 hail reports within 10 miles of Earlville since 1974, made on 17 separate days. Of these, 29 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on April 4, 2023. The most recent report is from July 10, 2025. April has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Earlville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Paw Paw 2S, IL, 6 miles northwest of Earlville at 889 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 12°F. May is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.6 inches; the year adds up to 36.6 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 148 nights a year. Snowfall averages 30.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 36.6 inches is more than at 11 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (8%). Somonauk, 12 miles east, has its own station (Chicago Aurora Municipal Airport, IL): 33.9 inches a year, 2.7 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 12 | 1.6 | 4 | 9.6 |
| Feb | 32 | 16 | 1.7 | 4 | 6.7 |
| Mar | 45 | 26 | 2.2 | 6 | 3.6 |
| Apr | 59 | 36 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.9 |
| May | 70 | 48 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 60 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 52 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 40 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 46 | 28 | 2.4 | 5 | 1.7 |
| Dec | 33 | 18 | 1.9 | 4 | 7.5 |
| Year | 58 | 38 | 36.6 | 69 | 30.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Paw Paw 2S, IL (889 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 Earlville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 63 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Earlville: 57 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $116,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 83 mph, on March 31, 2023.
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
LaSalle County, which includes Earlville, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 snowstorms, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives LaSalle County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for hail and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $60.5 million a year, the 16th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $33.1 million (55%), 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 Earlville
- Leland, IL7 mi
- Mendota, IL10 mi
- Somonauk, IL12 mi
- Sheridan, IL13 mi
- Waterman, IL14 mi
- Sandwich, IL15 mi
- Utica, IL17 mi
- Ottawa, IL17 mi
- Hinckley, IL19 mi
- La Salle, IL20 mi
- Plano, IL20 mi
- Newark, IL20 mi
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