NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Highland, 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 Highland, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 150 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 150
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
26 deaths in all
What the records show for Highland
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Highland; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 51 mph winds when its centre passed 11 miles away. The record near Highland begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 64 miles away. Of the 4 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Highland 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 F4 or EF4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 22, 2011, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on December 10, 2021, killed 6 people. Of the 150, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 89 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 38. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Highland has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 60% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 46 times since 1981, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 84% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Highland.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Highland
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 11 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 Highland: 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 Highland
By decade
- 2020s26(1 EF3+)
- 2010s24(2 EF3+)
- 2000s39
- 1990s14
- 1980s9(4 EF3+)
- 1970s9(1 EF3+)
- 1960s14(2 EF3+)
- 1950s15(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 24, 1956 | F4 | 10 mi | 77.6 mi | 6 / 36 |
| Jan 24, 1967 | F4 | 24 mi | 25 mi | 3 / 216 |
| Apr 22, 2011 | EF4 | 23 mi | 21.3 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 3, 1981 | F4 | 16 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 32 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF3 | 17 mi | 4.22 mi | 6 / 1 |
| Dec 2, 1982 | F3 | 13 mi | 10.5 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Dec 2, 1950 | F3 | in town | 18 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Apr 5, 1958 | F3 | 12 mi | 60.5 mi | 1 / 8 |
| May 31, 2013 | EF3 | 17 mi | 10.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 15, 1988 | F3 | 11 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 1983 | F3 | 15 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jul 28, 1976 | F3 | 5 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 Highland
The Storm Prediction Center has 46 hail reports within 10 miles of Highland since 1981, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 2, 2006. The most recent report is from March 14, 2025. April has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Highland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Belleville Siu Rsch, IL, 19 miles southwest of Highland at 450 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 43.4 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 53 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 94 nights a year. Snowfall averages 11.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 43.4 inches is more than at 117 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (80%). Pocahontas, 8 miles northeast, has its own station (Carlyle Rsvr, IL): 46.0 inches a year, 2.6 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 24 | 2.6 | 5 | 3.4 |
| Feb | 49 | 28 | 2.2 | 4 | 3.3 |
| Mar | 59 | 36 | 3.4 | 7 | 1.0 |
| Apr | 71 | 46 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 56 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 65 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 68 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 65 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 57 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 47 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 37 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.6 |
| Dec | 46 | 28 | 2.6 | 5 | 2.9 |
| Year | 69 | 46 | 43.4 | 71 | 11.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Belleville Siu Rsch, IL (450 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 Highland
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 87 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Highland: 71 thunderstorm wind reports and 16 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $428,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 93 mph, on March 27, 2021. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 263 have had fewer than Highland.
April 15, 2023: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Highland — $200,000 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
Madison County, which includes Highland, 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 Highland
- Saint Jacob, IL6 mi
- Pocahontas, IL8 mi
- Trenton, IL10 mi
- Aviston, IL11 mi
- Troy, IL12 mi
- Breese, IL12 mi
- Lebanon, IL13 mi
- Maryville, IL15 mi
- Worden, IL15 mi
- Edwardsville, IL16 mi
- New Baden, IL16 mi
- Glen Carbon, IL16 mi
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