NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Elgin, 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 Elgin, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 156 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 156
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
64 deaths in all
What the records show for Elgin
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Elgin; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 42 miles away. Of the 548 Illinois cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Elgin. The strongest of the 156 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on August 28, 1990; its path came within 25 miles, and it killed 29 people. Of the 156, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 82 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 33. The most recent tornado was on March 14, 2025. Elgin has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 64% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 159 times since 1961, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Elgin has more hail reports within 10 miles than 69% of the 548 Illinois cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Elgin
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Elgin: 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 Elgin
By decade
- 2020s61(1 EF3+)
- 2010s7
- 2000s14
- 1990s13(1 EF3+)
- 1980s5
- 1970s22(1 EF3+)
- 1960s21(3 EF3+)
- 1950s13
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 1990 | F5 | 25 mi | 16.4 mi | 29 / 350 |
| Apr 21, 1967 | F4 | 23 mi | 25.5 mi | 24 / 450 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 14 mi | 9.1 mi | 6 / 75 |
| Apr 21, 1967 | F4 | 8 mi | 8.8 mi | 1 / 100 |
| Jun 20, 2021 | EF3 | 21 mi | 17.6 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 19 mi | 22.6 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F2 | 21 mi | 15.1 mi | 2 / 66 |
| Jun 9, 1966 | F2 | 19 mi | 2.5 mi | 1 / 30 |
| Oct 8, 1958 | F2 | 25 mi | 81 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jul 16, 1980 | F2 | 14 mi | 1.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 15, 1978 | F2 | 11 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1975 | F2 | 24 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 156, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Elgin
The Storm Prediction Center has 159 hail reports within 10 miles of Elgin since 1961, made on 88 separate days. Of these, 102 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 3 days, most recently June 26, 2019. The most recent report is from February 27, 2024. April has the most reports, 42.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Elgin
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Elgin, IL, 2 miles north of Elgin at 763 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 14°F. May is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 39.9 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 139 nights a year. Snowfall averages 32.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 39.9 inches is more than at 77 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (53%). Streamwood, 6 miles east, has its own station (Streamwood, IL): 38.0 inches a year, 1.9 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 14 | 2.0 | 5 | 9.5 |
| Feb | 34 | 17 | 1.9 | 5 | 8.0 |
| Mar | 46 | 26 | 2.4 | 6 | 3.7 |
| Apr | 59 | 37 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.8 |
| May | 70 | 48 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 61 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 41 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 48 | 30 | 2.7 | 6 | 1.4 |
| Dec | 36 | 20 | 2.2 | 5 | 8.7 |
| Year | 59 | 39 | 39.9 | 74 | 32.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Elgin, IL (763 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 Elgin
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 401 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Elgin: 323 thunderstorm wind reports, 33 floods, 24 flash floods, 12 heavy rain events and 9 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $57.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on May 12, 2004. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 349 have had fewer than Elgin.
July 24, 2010: flood 4 miles from the centre of Elgin — 1 killed.
July 5, 2023: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Elgin — 2 injured, $700,000 damage.
June 11, 2001: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Elgin — 1 injured, $7,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Elgin's 3 ZIP codes have filed 165 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.9 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Ike in 2008: 44 claims (27% of all) and $1.0 million, then Mid-spring storms in 2013 with 18 and Flooding in 1997 with 13. 47% 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, 255 have fewer than Elgin.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ike2008 | 44 | $1.0 million |
| Mid-spring storms2013 | 18 | $259,000 |
| Flooding1997 | 13 | $91,000 |
Kane County, which includes Elgin, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 4 snowstorms, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Kane County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $198.1 million a year, the 5th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $99.0 million (50%), 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 Elgin
- South Elgin, IL3 mi
- West Dundee, IL5 mi
- Streamwood, IL6 mi
- Wayne, IL6 mi
- Carpentersville, IL6 mi
- Gilberts, IL6 mi
- Hoffman Estates, IL7 mi
- Bartlett, IL7 mi
- St Charles, IL8 mi
- Hanover Park, IL8 mi
- Algonquin, IL10 mi
- Schaumburg, IL10 mi
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