NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Elmwood, 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
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Elmwood, Illinois since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 126 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 126
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Elmwood
The highest rating among the 126 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on November 17, 2013, came within 23 miles. Of the 126, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 50 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on May 13, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities on this site, 54% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Elmwood. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 59 times since 1960, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 73% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Elmwood.
Compare Elmwood's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Elmwood
By decade
- 2020s17(1 EF3+)
- 2010s22(1 EF3+)
- 2000s11
- 1990s36(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s24(5 EF3+)
- 1960s8(2 EF3+)
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF4 | 23 mi | 46.36 mi | 3 / 125 |
| Jun 29, 1976 | F4 | 11 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 23, 1975 | F3 | 17 mi | 14 mi | 2 / 69 |
| Apr 4, 2023 | EF3 | 17 mi | 19.92 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 13, 1995 | F3 | 24 mi | 25 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Jul 23, 1975 | F3 | 18 mi | 11.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1975 | F3 | 12 mi | 6.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 1974 | F3 | 24 mi | 48.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 14, 1965 | F3 | 13 mi | 6.6 mi | 0 / 30 |
| May 14, 1961 | F3 | 6 mi | 127.1 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Aug 13, 1956 | F3 | 24 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 2016 | EF2 | 5 mi | 7.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 126, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Elmwood
The Storm Prediction Center has 59 hail reports within 10 miles of Elmwood since 1960, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 9 days, most recently December 1, 2018. The most recent report is from April 22, 2025. May has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Elmwood
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Princeville, IL, 15 miles northeast of Elmwood at 750 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 15°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 39.0 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 23 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 143 nights a year. Snowfall averages 20.3 inches a year, most of it in December. That 39.0 inches is more than at 57 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (39%). Farmington, 7 miles southwest, has its own station (Peoria Gtr Peoria Airport, IL): 37.6 inches a year, 1.4 less than here, and the same July average high, 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 15 | 2.2 | 4 | 5.4 |
| Feb | 37 | 18 | 1.9 | 4 | 5.5 |
| Mar | 50 | 28 | 2.4 | 6 | 2.0 |
| Apr | 64 | 39 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 75 | 51 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 63 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 61 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 52 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 41 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 51 | 30 | 2.4 | 5 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 37 | 20 | 2.1 | 5 | 6.4 |
| Year | 62 | 40 | 39.0 | 71 | 20.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Princeville, IL (750 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 Elmwood
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 101 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Elmwood: 87 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $41.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on July 15, 2024. June has had the most flash floods, 8 of 11. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 151 have had fewer than Elmwood.
August 22, 2001: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Elmwood — 1 injured.
April 18, 2013: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Elmwood — $39.5 million damage.
June 18, 2009: thunderstorm wind in Elmwood — $1.1 million damage.
NWS: “A grain bin was blown down. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down as well.”
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
Peoria County, which includes Elmwood, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 5 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Peoria County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $84.7 million a year, the 12th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $32.2 million (38%), 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.