NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Effingham, 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 Effingham, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 84 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 84
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Effingham
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Effingham; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 11 miles away. The record near Effingham begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Effingham has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 84 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 2, 1990; its path came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on August 21, 1977, killed 6 people. Of the 84, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 38 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on April 30, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 93% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Effingham. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1955, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 82% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Effingham.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Effingham
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 23 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 Effingham: 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 Effingham
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s12
- 2000s13
- 1990s15(1 EF3+)
- 1980s10
- 1970s8(2 EF3+)
- 1960s9(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 20 mi | 12.5 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Aug 21, 1977 | F3 | 17 mi | 26.9 mi | 6 / 56 |
| Aug 10, 1974 | F3 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 6, 1961 | F3 | 2 mi | 21.2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 18 mi | 48.91 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 14 mi | 12.88 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF2 | 20 mi | 15.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF2 | 21 mi | 41.54 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 3, 2018 | EF2 | 12 mi | 18.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF2 | 11 mi | 11.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF2 | 16 mi | 0.08 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF2 | 23 mi | 1.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 84, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Effingham
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Effingham since 1955, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 6, 1971. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April and May have the most reports, 10 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Effingham
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Effingham 3SW, IL, 4 miles west of Effingham at 625 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 20°F. May is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 44.0 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 38 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 114 nights a year. Snowfall averages 14.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 44.0 inches is more than at 122 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (84%). Neoga, 15 miles northeast, has its own station (Neoga 4NW, IL): 42.0 inches a year, 2.0 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 20 | 2.9 | 5 | 5.3 |
| Feb | 43 | 23 | 2.4 | 5 | 4.6 |
| Mar | 54 | 32 | 3.3 | 7 | 1.5 |
| Apr | 66 | 42 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.2 |
| May | 76 | 54 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 63 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 66 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 64 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 56 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 44 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 54 | 34 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Dec | 42 | 25 | 2.8 | 6 | 2.4 |
| Year | 65 | 44 | 44.0 | 76 | 14.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Effingham 3SW, IL (625 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 Effingham
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 116 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Effingham: 88 thunderstorm wind reports, 25 flash floods and 3 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $836,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on May 27, 2004. June has had the most flash floods, 12 of 25. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 356 have had fewer than Effingham.
April 19, 1996: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Effingham — 1 injured.
February 19, 2026: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Effingham — 1 injured.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds contributed to a multi-vehicle accident on I-57 southwest of Watson, resulting in one indirect injury.”
December 27, 2015: flood 8 miles from the centre of Effingham — $300,000 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
Effingham County, which includes Effingham, has been named in 7 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1996, 4 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes, 1 hurricane, 1 severe storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Effingham County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.4 million a year, the 49th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.4 million (36%), 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 Effingham
- Teutopolis, IL6 mi
- Altamont, IL10 mi
- Dieterich, IL11 mi
- Neoga, IL15 mi
- Saint Elmo, IL18 mi
- Toledo, IL19 mi
- Louisville, IL22 mi
- Newton, IL23 mi
- Shelbyville, IL24 mi
- Greenup, IL24 mi
- Mattoon, IL26 mi
- Ramsey, IL29 mi
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