NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Galatia, 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 Galatia, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 76 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 76
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
32 deaths in all
What the records show for Galatia
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Galatia; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 51 mph winds when its centre passed 75 miles away. The record near Galatia begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 7 miles away. Of the 4 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Galatia has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The highest rating among the 76 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on May 16, 2025, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on December 18, 1957, killed 11 people. Of the 76, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 47 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 24. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 97% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Galatia. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 53 times since 1975, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 80% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Galatia.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Galatia
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Galatia: 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 Galatia
By decade
- 2020s20(2 EF3+)
- 2010s19(1 EF3+)
- 2000s8
- 1990s9(2 EF3+)
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 18, 1957 | F4 | 22 mi | 28.3 mi | 11 / 200 |
| May 29, 1982 | F4 | 14 mi | 17 mi | 10 / 181 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF4 | 9 mi | 26.09 mi | 8 / 108 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF4 | 15 mi | 16.28 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F3 | 20 mi | 0.3 mi | 3 / 0 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 24 mi | 4.87 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 23 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 19, 1991 | F3 | 18 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Mar 16, 1963 | F3 | 17 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF2 | 19 mi | 9.93 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | EF2 | 21 mi | 15.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 12 mi | 1.14 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 76, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Galatia
The Storm Prediction Center has 53 hail reports within 10 miles of Galatia since 1975, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on August 6, 2019. The most recent report is from April 4, 2025. April has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Galatia
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Harrisburg, IL, 9 miles southeast of Galatia at 365 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 24°F. April is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February and September the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 47.7 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 43 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 95 nights a year. That 47.7 inches is more than at 135 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (92%). Thompsonville, 9 miles northwest, has its own station (Mcleansboro, IL): 47.2 inches a year, 0.5 less than here, and the same July average high, 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 24 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Feb | 48 | 28 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Mar | 58 | 36 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Apr | 69 | 46 | 5.3 | 8 |
| May | 78 | 57 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Jun | 86 | 65 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Jul | 89 | 68 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Aug | 88 | 66 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Sep | 82 | 57 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Oct | 71 | 45 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Nov | 57 | 36 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Dec | 47 | 29 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Year | 68 | 46 | 47.7 | 71 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Harrisburg, IL (365 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 Galatia
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 132 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Galatia: 84 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods, 13 floods and 13 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $22.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 120 mph, on April 19, 2011. April has had the most flash floods, 5 of 22. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 328 have had fewer than Galatia.
June 8, 2007: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Galatia — 1 injured, $125,000 damage.
March 18, 2008: flood in Galatia — $16.8 million damage.
NWS: “Over 16 million dollars in damage occurred to homes and businesses in Harrisburg due to disastrous flooding. Five homes and one business were considered destroyed.”
March 18, 2008: flood 10 miles from the centre of Galatia — $1.5 million 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
Saline County, which includes Galatia, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1996, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane, 1 snowstorm). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Saline County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for 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 50th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.9 million (29%), 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 Galatia
- Thompsonville, IL9 mi
- Harrisburg, IL9 mi
- Eldorado, IL10 mi
- Carrier Mills, IL10 mi
- Johnston City, IL17 mi
- West Frankfort, IL17 mi
- Mc Leansboro, IL18 mi
- Marion, IL18 mi
- Creal Springs, IL19 mi
- Norris City, IL20 mi
- Benton, IL20 mi
- Herrin, IL22 mi
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