NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Georgetown, 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 Georgetown, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 116 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 116
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Georgetown
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Georgetown; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 1 mile away. The record near Georgetown begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Georgetown has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 116 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 20, 1976; its path came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 9, 1953, killed 3 people. Of the 116, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 48 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on October 3, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 63% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Georgetown. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1975, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 79% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Georgetown.
Compare Georgetown's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Georgetown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 9 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 Georgetown: 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 Georgetown
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s24(1 EF3+)
- 2000s16
- 1990s26(1 EF3+)
- 1980s12
- 1970s12(3 EF3+)
- 1960s11(2 EF3+)
- 1950s7(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 1976 | F4 | 15 mi | 63.7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | 16 mi | 156.7 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 13 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 20 mi | 18.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 23 mi | 25.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 17 mi | 14.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 12 mi | 38.6 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Jul 21, 1961 | F3 | 17 mi | 23.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF2 | 6 mi | 3.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 9, 2016 | EF2 | 18 mi | 6.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF2 | 23 mi | 12.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF2 | 10 mi | 5.94 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 116, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Georgetown
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of Georgetown since 1975, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 29 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on May 18, 2000. The most recent report is from March 14, 2024. May has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Georgetown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Perrysville 4 WNW, IN, 10 miles northeast of Georgetown at 611 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 17°F. June is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 38.9 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 124 nights a year. Snowfall averages 19.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.9 inches is more than at 55 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (38%). Westville, 5 miles north, has its own station (Danville, IL): 43.2 inches a year, 4.3 more 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 | 35 | 17 | 2.4 | 5 | 5.6 |
| Feb | 40 | 21 | 2.0 | 5 | 5.2 |
| Mar | 51 | 30 | 2.7 | 6 | 2.6 |
| Apr | 64 | 40 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.3 |
| May | 75 | 52 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 63 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 61 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 53 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 42 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 52 | 32 | 3.1 | 6 | 1.0 |
| Dec | 40 | 23 | 2.4 | 5 | 4.5 |
| Year | 63 | 41 | 38.9 | 74 | 19.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Perrysville 4 WNW, IN (611 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 Georgetown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 116 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Georgetown: 110 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 20, 2025.
June 19, 2009: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Georgetown — $400,000 damage.
April 14, 2006: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Georgetown — $300,000 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
Vermilion County, which includes Georgetown, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 tornadoes, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on August 15, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Vermilion County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, 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 $32.3 million a year, the 30th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.8 million (43%), 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.