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Storms That Hit

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Galva, 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 Galva, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 121 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
1

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
121

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
5

no recorded deaths

What the records show for Galva

None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Galva; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 65 miles away. Of the 548 Illinois cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Galva. The highest rating among the 121 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 5 times; the most recent, on May 9, 1995, came within 15 miles. Of the 121, 15 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 57 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 32. The most recent tornado was on May 13, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 59% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Galva. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 111 times since 1958, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Galva has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 548 Illinois cities.

Compare Galva's storm record with another city →

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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Galva

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Galva, Illinois, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
1900Unnamed 1900 stormSep 1165 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 4

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Galva: 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 Galva

By decade

  • 2020s28
  • 2010s15
  • 2000s14
  • 1990s21(1 EF3+)
  • 1980s5
  • 1970s22(2 EF3+)
  • 1960s13(2 EF3+)
  • 1950s3
Strongest tornadoes near Galva, Illinois
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
May 9, 1995F315 mi22 mi0 / 0
Mar 4, 1976F324 mi0.8 mi0 / 0
Jul 17, 1972F322 mi81.5 mi0 / 0
Apr 24, 1965F322 mi6.5 mi0 / 1
May 14, 1961F315 mi127.1 mi0 / 8
Apr 4, 2023EF217 mi2.79 mi0 / 0
Mar 31, 2023EF24 mi6.82 mi0 / 0
Mar 31, 2023EF220 mi9.32 mi0 / 0
Mar 31, 2023EF221 mi3.05 mi0 / 0
Mar 31, 2023EF220 mi3.55 mi0 / 0
May 17, 2017EF21 mi1.29 mi0 / 1
May 13, 1995F225 mi14 mi0 / 2

The strongest 12 of 121, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Galva

The Storm Prediction Center has 111 hail reports within 10 miles of Galva since 1958, made on 75 separate days. Of these, 50 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 13, 2006. The most recent report is from May 15, 2025. April has the most reports, 33.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Galva

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Galva, IL, in Galva at 810 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 13°F. June is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.6 inches; the year adds up to 38.7 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 16 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 137 nights a year. That 38.7 inches is more than at 52 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (36%). Kewanee, 8 miles northeast, has its own station (Kewanee 1 E, IL): 39.8 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Galva, IL
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"
Jan30131.64
Feb35171.84
Mar48272.46
Apr61384.28
May73504.88
Jun82605.28
Jul84633.66
Aug82603.76
Sep77524.06
Oct64402.86
Nov48292.65
Dec36192.04
Year603938.768

Averages for 1991–2020 at Galva, IL (810 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.

Illinois weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Galva

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 122 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Galva: 103 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 3 floods, 2 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $10.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 115 mph, on March 31, 2023. June has had the most flash floods, 5 of 13. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 195 have had fewer than Galva.

  • June 4, 1999: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Galva — 1 injured.

  • June 24, 2013: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Galva — $9.0 million damage.

    NWS: “00 inches of rain in nearly all of Stark County during the early morning hours of June 24th. All rural roads were closed and most creeks were flooded out of their banks.”

  • May 10, 2003: thunderstorm wind in Galva — $400,000 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

Henry County, which includes Galva, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Floodng, on September 20, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Henry County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $24.4 million a year, the 40th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.8 million (36%), 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 Galva

All Illinois cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Galva with another place →

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