NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Galena, 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 Galena, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 95 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 95
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Galena
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Galena; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 21 miles away. Of the 548 Illinois cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Galena. The strongest of the 95 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 11, 1965; its path came within 16 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 95, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 43 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 33. The most recent tornado was on July 11, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 83% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Galena. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 64 times since 1965, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Galena.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Galena
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Galena: 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 Galena
By decade
- 2020s17
- 2010s14
- 2000s12
- 1990s17(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s12(1 EF3+)
- 1960s14(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 16 mi | 91.5 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Jun 19, 1993 | F3 | 11 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1988 | F3 | 15 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 9, 1970 | F3 | 14 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 2025 | EF2 | 10 mi | 2.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 2024 | EF2 | 15 mi | 15.41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 2014 | EF2 | 22 mi | 3.76 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 12, 2013 | EF2 | 21 mi | 6.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 1, 2007 | EF2 | 13 mi | 3.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1998 | F2 | 10 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F2 | 13 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 7, 1984 | F2 | 23 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 95, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Galena
The Storm Prediction Center has 64 hail reports within 10 miles of Galena since 1965, made on 42 separate days. Of these, 39 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 9, 1995. The most recent report is from February 8, 2024. May has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Galena
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bellevue L&D 12, IA, 10 miles south of Galena at 603 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 29°F and 12°F. June is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.3 inches; the year adds up to 37.9 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 146 nights a year. Snowfall averages 31.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 37.9 inches is more than at 31 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (21%). Hazel Green, WI, 11 miles northwest, has its own station (Dubuque L&D 11, IA): 38.8 inches a year, 0.9 more than here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 12 | 1.3 | 4 | 9.3 |
| Feb | 34 | 15 | 1.6 | 4 | 8.3 |
| Mar | 46 | 26 | 2.2 | 5 | 3.9 |
| Apr | 59 | 37 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.4 |
| May | 71 | 48 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 63 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 61 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 52 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 41 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 47 | 29 | 2.3 | 5 | 1.3 |
| Dec | 34 | 19 | 1.9 | 5 | 8.4 |
| Year | 59 | 39 | 37.9 | 71 | 31.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bellevue L&D 12, IA (603 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 Galena
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 131 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Galena: 91 thunderstorm wind reports, 18 flash floods, 14 floods, 7 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on July 15, 2024. June has had the most flash floods, 9 of 18. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 292 have had fewer than Galena.
July 24, 2009: thunderstorm wind in Galena — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew a semi truck over onto a car on Highway 20 near Mount Hope Road about 1 mile east of Galena, IL around 655 pm July 24. One person was injured.”
April 5, 2010: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Galena — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph ripped the roof off of Tri State Screen Printing and Embroidery located at 11530 Technical Drive about 3 miles west northwest of Galena, IL around 1110 pm April 5.”
July 24, 2009: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Galena — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew down several trees in the vicinity of the Galena Territory just east of Galena, IL around 650 pm July 24. One tree fell onto a house in the Galena Territory area.”
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 Galena's ZIP code 61036 have filed 29 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1985, and were paid $491,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2011, with 16. 7% 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, 107 have fewer than Galena.
Jo Daviess County, which includes Galena, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 3 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Jo Daviess County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.6 million a year, the 57th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.0 million (51%), 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 Galena
- Hazel Green, WI11 mi
- Bellevue, IA11 mi
- East Dubuque, IL11 mi
- Shullsburg, WI14 mi
- Cuba City, WI14 mi
- Dubuque, IA17 mi
- Stockton, IL19 mi
- Peosta, IA21 mi
- Platteville, WI24 mi
- Darlington, WI25 mi
- Savanna, IL25 mi
- Potosi, WI25 mi
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