NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Godfrey, 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 Godfrey, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 142 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 15 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 142
- EF3 or stronger
- 15
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
38 deaths in all
What the records show for Godfrey
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Godfrey; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 49 mph winds when its centre passed 41 miles away. The record near Godfrey begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Godfrey has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The highest rating among the 142 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 22, 2011, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on February 10, 1959, killed 21 people. Of the 142, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 78 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 32. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Godfrey has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 54% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 110 times since 1961, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Godfrey has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 548 Illinois cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Godfrey
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 16 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 Godfrey: 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 Godfrey
By decade
- 2020s20(2 EF3+)
- 2010s25(3 EF3+)
- 2000s33
- 1990s9
- 1980s9(4 EF3+)
- 1970s11
- 1960s15(3 EF3+)
- 1950s20(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 10, 1959 | F4 | 20 mi | 23.9 mi | 21 / 345 |
| Jan 24, 1967 | F4 | 10 mi | 25 mi | 3 / 216 |
| Apr 22, 2011 | EF4 | 15 mi | 21.3 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 3, 1981 | F4 | 16 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 32 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF3 | 16 mi | 4.22 mi | 6 / 1 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF3 | 20 mi | 27.3 mi | 1 / 2 |
| May 31, 2013 | EF3 | 11 mi | 10.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 2013 | EF3 | 12 mi | 31.71 mi | 0 / 8 |
| May 1, 1983 | F3 | 17 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 1, 1983 | F3 | 24 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | F3 | 5 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F3 | 8 mi | 21.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 142, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Godfrey
The Storm Prediction Center has 110 hail reports within 10 miles of Godfrey since 1961, made on 70 separate days. Of these, 57 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 9, 2015. The most recent report is from August 12, 2025. April has the most reports, 39.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Godfrey
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Alton - Melvin Price L&D, IL, 7 miles southeast of Godfrey at 405 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 22°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 41.9 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 29 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 85 nights a year. That 41.9 inches is more than at 105 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (72%). Brighton, 8 miles northeast, has its own station (Jerseyville 2 SW, IL): 42.4 inches a year, 0.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 22 | 2.5 | 5 |
| Feb | 44 | 25 | 2.5 | 5 |
| Mar | 54 | 35 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Apr | 66 | 45 | 4.9 | 8 |
| May | 75 | 56 | 5.5 | 9 |
| Jun | 84 | 66 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Jul | 87 | 69 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Aug | 86 | 67 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Sep | 80 | 60 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Oct | 68 | 48 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Nov | 54 | 37 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Dec | 44 | 27 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Year | 65 | 46 | 41.9 | 72 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Alton - Melvin Price L&D, IL (405 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 Godfrey
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 146 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Godfrey: 124 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods and 8 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $28.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on June 14, 1998. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 221 have had fewer than Godfrey.
February 20, 2014: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Godfrey — 1 injured.
June 2, 2019: flood 3 miles from the centre of Godfrey — $24.8 million damage.
NWS: “The Mississippi River at Alton, IL remained at it's highest levels between the evening of June 2nd and the evening of June 12th. 25 million in damage from the river flooding.”
May 7, 2002: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Godfrey — $1.8 million 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 Godfrey's ZIP code 62035 have filed 295 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $2.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1986: 91 claims (31% of all) and $534,000, then Midwest Flooding in 1993 with 41. The year with the most claims was 1983, with 57. 45% 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, 281 have fewer than Godfrey.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1986 | 91 | $534,000 |
| Midwest Flooding1993 | 41 | $917,000 |
Madison County, which includes Godfrey, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Madison County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $154.9 million a year, the 7th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $56.2 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 Godfrey
- Alton, IL4 mi
- Brighton, IL8 mi
- Cottage Hills, IL8 mi
- Wood River, IL9 mi
- East Alton, IL9 mi
- Bethalto, IL10 mi
- Florissant, MO11 mi
- South Roxana, IL12 mi
- Jerseyville, IL13 mi
- Hazelwood, MO14 mi
- Ferguson, MO14 mi
- Bunker Hill, IL16 mi
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