NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lacon, 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
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Lacon, Illinois since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 123 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 123
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
What the records show for Lacon
The highest rating among the 123 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on November 17, 2013, came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 20, 2004, killed 8 people. Of the 123, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 67 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on July 15, 2024. Of the 548 Illinois cities on this site, 57% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Lacon. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 75 times since 1966, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 63% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Lacon.
Compare Lacon's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Lacon
By decade
- 2020s20
- 2010s28(2 EF3+)
- 2000s19(2 EF3+)
- 1990s17
- 1980s5
- 1970s16(3 EF3+)
- 1960s12(3 EF3+)
- 1950s6(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF4 | 18 mi | 46.36 mi | 3 / 125 |
| Jul 13, 2004 | F4 | 16 mi | 9.6 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 29, 1976 | F4 | 20 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 20, 2004 | F3 | 16 mi | 15.8 mi | 8 / 12 |
| Dec 6, 1951 | F3 | 23 mi | 21.9 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Feb 28, 2017 | EF3 | 8 mi | 17.77 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 4, 1976 | F3 | 15 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 17, 1972 | F3 | 7 mi | 81.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 14, 1965 | F3 | 23 mi | 6.6 mi | 0 / 30 |
| Apr 24, 1965 | F3 | 8 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 14, 1961 | F3 | 19 mi | 127.1 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Aug 13, 1956 | F3 | 24 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 123, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lacon
The Storm Prediction Center has 75 hail reports within 10 miles of Lacon since 1966, made on 43 separate days. Of these, 46 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 9, 2001. The most recent report is from May 15, 2025. April and May have the most reports, 16 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lacon
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lacon, IL, 2 miles southwest of Lacon at 458 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 18°F. May is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 2.1 inches; the year adds up to 38.6 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 28 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 121 nights a year. Snowfall averages 24.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.6 inches is more than at 50 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (34%). Metamora, 17 miles south, has its own station (Congerville 2NW, IL): 37.5 inches a year, 1.1 less 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 | 34 | 18 | 2.1 | 5 | 8.1 |
| Feb | 38 | 22 | 2.1 | 4 | 6.2 |
| Mar | 51 | 31 | 2.7 | 6 | 3.2 |
| Apr | 65 | 41 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.7 |
| May | 75 | 52 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 61 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 65 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 63 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 55 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 44 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 51 | 33 | 2.6 | 6 | 1.1 |
| Dec | 38 | 23 | 2.2 | 5 | 5.2 |
| Year | 63 | 42 | 38.6 | 73 | 24.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lacon, IL (458 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 Lacon
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 166 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lacon: 134 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 flash floods, 12 floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $62.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on July 15, 2024. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 278 have had fewer than Lacon.
May 1, 2013: flood 5 miles from the centre of Lacon — 1 killed, $28.0 million damage.
June 7, 2009: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Lacon — 1 injured, $90,000 damage.
August 6, 2000: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Lacon — 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
Marshall County, which includes Lacon, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 snowstorms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Marshall County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes, hail, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.7 million a year, the 84th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.0 million (46%), 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 Lacon
- Henry, IL6 mi
- Chillicothe, IL10 mi
- Metamora, IL17 mi
- Granville, IL18 mi
- Dunlap, IL19 mi
- Roanoke, IL19 mi
- Wyoming, IL20 mi
- Minonk, IL21 mi
- Princeville, IL21 mi
- Peoria Heights, IL22 mi
- Eureka, IL22 mi
- Spring Valley, IL23 mi
All Illinois cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Lacon with another place →