NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Farmer City, 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 Farmer City, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 189 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 189
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Farmer City
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Farmer City; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 50 miles away. The record near Farmer City begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Farmer City has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 189 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 20, 1976; its path came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on May 15, 1968, killed 4 people. Of the 189, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 88 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 55. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Farmer City has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 89% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 33 times since 1974, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 94% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Farmer City.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Farmer City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 48 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 Farmer City: 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 Farmer City
By decade
- 2020s25
- 2010s22
- 2000s41
- 1990s34(2 EF3+)
- 1980s28
- 1970s19(3 EF3+)
- 1960s11(1 EF3+)
- 1950s9(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 1976 | F4 | 25 mi | 63.7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | 23 mi | 156.7 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 24 mi | 20.9 mi | 1 / 26 |
| Jun 27, 1951 | F3 | 25 mi | 18.2 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 25 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 12 |
| May 9, 1995 | F3 | 25 mi | 50 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 19 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 20 mi | 31.8 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Dec 1, 2018 | EF2 | 10 mi | 2.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 2003 | F2 | 15 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 30, 2003 | F2 | 24 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F2 | 15 mi | 1.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 189, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Farmer City
The Storm Prediction Center has 33 hail reports within 10 miles of Farmer City since 1974, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 28, 2019. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. April has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Farmer City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Champaign 9 SW, IL, 20 miles southeast of Farmer City at 700 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 17°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 39.7 inches over 72 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 128 nights a year. That 39.7 inches is more than at 69 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (47%). Le Roy, 8 miles northwest, has its own station (Normal 4NE, IL): 39.3 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 17 | 2.3 | 6 |
| Feb | 38 | 21 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Mar | 50 | 30 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Apr | 63 | 40 | 3.7 | 7 |
| May | 74 | 51 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Jun | 82 | 60 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Jul | 84 | 62 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Aug | 82 | 60 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Sep | 77 | 52 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Oct | 65 | 41 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Nov | 50 | 31 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Dec | 38 | 23 | 2.3 | 6 |
| Year | 61 | 41 | 39.7 | 72 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Champaign 9 SW, IL (700 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 Farmer City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 75 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Farmer City: 71 thunderstorm wind reports and 4 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 29, 2023.
July 13, 2004: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Farmer City — 1 injured, $800,000 damage.
June 18, 2009: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Farmer City — $140,000 damage.
August 4, 2009: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Farmer City — $105,000 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
De Witt County, which includes Farmer City, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 2 snowstorms, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on August 15, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives De Witt County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.5 million a year, the 80th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.5 million (37%), 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 Farmer City
- Le Roy, IL8 mi
- Mahomet, IL14 mi
- Downs, IL14 mi
- Fisher, IL15 mi
- Monticello, IL16 mi
- Heyworth, IL18 mi
- Clinton, IL18 mi
- Oakley, IL20 mi
- Gibson City, IL21 mi
- Champaign, IL22 mi
- Bloomington, IL23 mi
- Maroa, IL23 mi
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