NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Geneseo, 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 Geneseo, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 155 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 155
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Geneseo
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Geneseo; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 44 miles away. Of the 548 Illinois cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Geneseo. The strongest of the 155 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 29, 1981; its path came within 18 miles. Of the 155, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 82 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 40. The most recent tornado was on July 11, 2025. Geneseo has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 63% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 47 times since 1971, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 82% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Geneseo.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Geneseo
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Geneseo: 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 Geneseo
By decade
- 2020s42
- 2010s26
- 2000s14
- 1990s30(2 EF3+)
- 1980s8(1 EF3+)
- 1970s18(1 EF3+)
- 1960s14(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29, 1981 | F4 | 18 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 9, 1995 | F3 | 22 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F3 | 11 mi | 15.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 13, 1974 | F3 | 25 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1966 | F3 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 2023 | EF2 | 3 mi | 2.79 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 2023 | EF2 | 11 mi | 0.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 18 mi | 6.82 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 8 mi | 9.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 5 mi | 3.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 1 mi | 3.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 2017 | EF2 | 21 mi | 1.29 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 155, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Geneseo
The Storm Prediction Center has 47 hail reports within 10 miles of Geneseo since 1971, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 34 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 6 days, most recently February 27, 2024. The most recent report is from March 4, 2024. May has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Geneseo
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Geneseo, IL, 1 mile southeast of Geneseo at 639 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 15°F. May is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.6 inches; the year adds up to 39.1 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 22 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 126 nights a year. Snowfall averages 28.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 39.1 inches is more than at 59 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (40%). Colona, 10 miles west, has its own station (Le Claire L&D 14, IA): 37.2 inches a year, 1.9 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 15 | 1.6 | 5 | 9.8 |
| Feb | 36 | 19 | 1.8 | 4 | 6.1 |
| Mar | 49 | 29 | 2.7 | 6 | 2.8 |
| Apr | 62 | 40 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.7 |
| May | 74 | 52 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 63 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 55 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 43 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 49 | 31 | 2.6 | 5 | 1.6 |
| Dec | 36 | 21 | 2.1 | 5 | 7.3 |
| Year | 61 | 41 | 39.1 | 71 | 28.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Geneseo, IL (639 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 Geneseo
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 106 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Geneseo: 84 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 floods and 8 flash floods. They killed 2 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $564,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on June 18, 1998. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 8. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 90 have had fewer than Geneseo.
July 21, 2008: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Geneseo — 2 killed, 4 injured.
September 13, 2008: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Geneseo — $250,000 damage.
July 23, 2017: flood 7 miles from the centre of Geneseo — $110,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Geneseo's ZIP code 61254 have filed 40 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $669,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1979, with 12. 10% 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, 136 have fewer than Geneseo.
Henry County, which includes Geneseo, 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 Geneseo
- Colona, IL10 mi
- Cambridge, IL12 mi
- Port Byron, IL13 mi
- Silvis, IL13 mi
- Orion, IL14 mi
- Erie, IL14 mi
- East Moline, IL14 mi
- Coal Valley, IL14 mi
- Le Claire, IA14 mi
- Prophetstown, IL16 mi
- Moline, IL18 mi
- Bettendorf, IA18 mi
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