NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Girard, 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 Girard, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 137 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 137
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Girard
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Girard; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 50 miles away. The record near Girard begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Girard has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 137 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 14, 1957; its path came within 22 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 137, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 76 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on April 18, 2024. Girard has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 51% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 45 times since 1963, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 85% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Girard.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Girard
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 32 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 Girard: 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 Girard
By decade
- 2020s19
- 2010s23(2 EF3+)
- 2000s34
- 1990s18(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s23(2 EF3+)
- 1960s10(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 1957 | F4 | 22 mi | 4.3 mi | 2 / 50 |
| Jun 1, 1999 | F3 | 11 mi | 10 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Dec 1, 2018 | EF3 | 22 mi | 12.49 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Apr 19, 2011 | EF3 | in town | 4.32 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 1, 1983 | F3 | 20 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Aug 6, 1977 | F3 | 14 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F3 | 7 mi | 8.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 24, 1961 | F3 | 12 mi | 64.2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 6, 2023 | EF2 | 18 mi | 25.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 2023 | EF2 | 17 mi | 9.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 11, 2021 | EF2 | 24 mi | 5.83 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 1, 2018 | EF2 | 19 mi | 6.79 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 137, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Girard
The Storm Prediction Center has 45 hail reports within 10 miles of Girard since 1963, made on 33 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 19, 1996. The most recent report is from May 7, 2023. May has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Girard
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Virden, IL, 5 miles north of Girard at 675 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 21°F. June is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 38.4 inches over 63 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 25 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 101 nights a year. Snowfall averages 16.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.4 inches is more than at 42 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (29%). Carlinville, 11 miles south, has its own station (Carlinville, IL): 39.9 inches a year, 1.5 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 21 | 2.0 | 4 | 6.7 |
| Feb | 42 | 25 | 2.3 | 4 | 3.1 |
| Mar | 54 | 34 | 2.5 | 6 | 2.3 |
| Apr | 67 | 45 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 55 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 65 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 68 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 66 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 58 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 47 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 52 | 35 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 41 | 26 | 2.4 | 4 | 3.3 |
| Year | 64 | 45 | 38.4 | 63 | 16.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Virden, IL (675 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 Girard
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 72 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Girard: 63 thunderstorm wind reports and 9 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $301,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 31, 2013. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 9. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 107 have had fewer than Girard.
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 Girard, 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 Girard
- Virden, IL5 mi
- Auburn, IL11 mi
- Carlinville, IL11 mi
- Waverly, IL13 mi
- Pawnee, IL17 mi
- Chatham, IL17 mi
- Litchfield, IL19 mi
- New Berlin, IL21 mi
- Gillespie, IL21 mi
- Greenfield, IL23 mi
- Rochester, IL25 mi
- Springfield, IL25 mi
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