NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Gibson City, 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 Gibson City, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 150 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 150
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Gibson City
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Gibson City; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 50 miles away. The record near Gibson City begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Gibson City has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The highest rating among the 150 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on November 17, 2013, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on May 15, 1968, killed 4 people. Of the 150, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 66 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 48. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Gibson City has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 60% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1977, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 89% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Gibson City.
Compare Gibson City's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Gibson City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 56 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 Gibson City: 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 Gibson City
By decade
- 2020s28
- 2010s16(1 EF3+)
- 2000s22
- 1990s22
- 1980s22
- 1970s20(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s13(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | 21 mi | 156.7 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 19 mi | 29.83 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 9 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 6, 1956 | F3 | 23 mi | 9.4 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Dec 1, 2018 | EF2 | 18 mi | 2.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2000 | F2 | 24 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Sep 29, 1986 | F2 | 21 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 1982 | F2 | 6 mi | 23.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 1981 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1980 | F2 | 14 mi | 34.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 1978 | F2 | 21 mi | 16.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 1976 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 150, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Gibson City
The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Gibson City since 1977, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 29 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 12, 2006. The most recent report is from May 20, 2025. May has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Gibson City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Gibson City, IL, in Gibson City at 750 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 16°F. June is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 37.8 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 19 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 129 nights a year. Snowfall averages 18.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 37.8 inches is more than at 30 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (21%). Paxton, 14 miles east, has its own station (Paxton 2 WSW, IL): 37.9 inches a year, the same as here, and the same July average high, 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 16 | 2.0 | 5 | 6.7 |
| Feb | 37 | 20 | 1.8 | 4 | 4.1 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 2.7 | 6 | 1.4 |
| Apr | 62 | 39 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.3 |
| May | 73 | 51 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 61 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 64 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 62 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 53 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 41 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 49 | 31 | 2.6 | 6 | 1.1 |
| Dec | 37 | 22 | 2.2 | 5 | 4.6 |
| Year | 61 | 41 | 37.8 | 69 | 18.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Gibson City, IL (750 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 Gibson City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 88 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Gibson City: 68 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods and 9 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $61.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 23, 2019. July has had the most flash floods, 4 of 11. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 151 have had fewer than Gibson City.
July 12, 2014: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Gibson City — $47.0 million damage.
NWS: “5 inches for at least two hours from 0630-0830 LST in northwest and central Champaign County - including the cities of Champaign and Mahomet/Lake of the Woods. 00 inches from Mahomet to the village of Foosland.”
August 12, 2021: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Gibson City — $12.2 million damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorms producing heavy rain continued to redevelop across southwest Ford County during the late morning and early afternoon producing widespread significant flash flooding in many areas, including in Gibson City. Numerous homes and businesses suffered significant flood damage.”
June 21, 2010: thunderstorm wind in Gibson City — $750,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees up to two feet in diameter, tree limbs and power lines were blown down in Gibson City. Some trees and tree limbs fell onto houses.”
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
Ford County, which includes Gibson City, has been named in 8 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1990, 4 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane, 1 ice storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ford County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.8 million a year, the 83rd highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.2 million (48%), 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 Gibson City
- Fisher, IL10 mi
- Paxton, IL14 mi
- Rantoul, IL16 mi
- Mahomet, IL18 mi
- Fairbury, IL21 mi
- Farmer City, IL21 mi
- Le Roy, IL22 mi
- Champaign, IL25 mi
- Lexington, IL25 mi
- Downs, IL26 mi
- Urbana, IL26 mi
- Chenoa, IL26 mi
All Illinois cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Gibson City with another place →