NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Gillespie, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Gillespie, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 124 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 124
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Gillespie
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Gillespie; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 51 mph winds when its centre passed 35 miles away. The record near Gillespie begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Gillespie has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 124 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 3, 1981; its path came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on May 16, 2025, killed 4 people. Of the 124, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 73 have come since 2000. April and May have had the most tornadoes, 29 each. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 56% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Gillespie. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 87 times since 1968, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 55% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Gillespie.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Gillespie
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 15 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 Gillespie: 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 Gillespie
By decade
- 2020s18
- 2010s24(2 EF3+)
- 2000s31
- 1990s20(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6(3 EF3+)
- 1970s6(2 EF3+)
- 1960s11(1 EF3+)
- 1950s8(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1981 | F4 | 22 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 32 |
| Jun 1, 1999 | F3 | 16 mi | 10 mi | 1 / 4 |
| May 31, 2013 | EF3 | 21 mi | 10.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2011 | EF3 | 22 mi | 4.32 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 1, 1983 | F3 | 21 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 1, 1983 | F3 | 25 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Jul 28, 1976 | F3 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F3 | 22 mi | 8.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F3 | 25 mi | 21.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jan 3, 1950 | F3 | 23 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF2 | 24 mi | 23.22 mi | 4 / 38 |
| Dec 2, 1950 | F2 | 6 mi | 18.8 mi | 1 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 124, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Gillespie
The Storm Prediction Center has 87 hail reports within 10 miles of Gillespie since 1968, made on 64 separate days. Of these, 57 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 6 days, most recently May 26, 2024. The most recent report is from May 26, 2024. May has the most reports, 28.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Gillespie
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Carlinville, IL, 11 miles north of Gillespie at 621 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 19°F. April is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.1 inches; the year adds up to 39.9 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 27 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 110 nights a year. Snowfall averages 16.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 39.9 inches is more than at 75 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (51%). Mount Olive, 6 miles southeast, has its own station (Hillsboro, IL): 42.0 inches a year, 2.1 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 19 | 2.3 | 5 | 5.8 |
| Feb | 41 | 23 | 2.1 | 4 | 4.7 |
| Mar | 52 | 32 | 2.9 | 6 | 2.3 |
| Apr | 65 | 43 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 74 | 54 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 63 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 66 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 64 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 55 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 44 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 53 | 33 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 41 | 25 | 2.3 | 5 | 2.8 |
| Year | 64 | 43 | 39.9 | 68 | 16.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Carlinville, IL (621 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 Gillespie
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 82 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Gillespie: 77 thunderstorm wind reports and 5 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $130,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on May 20, 2013. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 28 have had fewer than Gillespie.
May 23, 2011: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Gillespie — 1 injured.
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
Macoupin County, which includes Gillespie, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1982, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Macoupin County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $38.7 million a year, the 24th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.4 million (30%), 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 Gillespie
- Mount Olive, IL6 mi
- Staunton, IL8 mi
- Bunker Hill, IL9 mi
- Litchfield, IL10 mi
- Carlinville, IL11 mi
- Worden, IL14 mi
- Brighton, IL18 mi
- Hillsboro, IL19 mi
- Bethalto, IL19 mi
- Cottage Hills, IL21 mi
- Girard, IL21 mi
- Edwardsville, IL22 mi
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