NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lawrenceville, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Lawrenceville, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 86 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 86
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for Lawrenceville
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lawrenceville; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 63 miles away. The record near Lawrenceville begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 67 miles away. Of the 5 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Lawrenceville is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The highest rating among the 86 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on June 2, 1990, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on March 31, 2023, killed 6 people. Of the 86, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 29 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on July 9, 2024. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 91% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Lawrenceville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 78 times since 1963, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 61% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Lawrenceville.
Compare Lawrenceville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lawrenceville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 69 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 Lawrenceville: 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 Lawrenceville
By decade
- 2020s7(1 EF3+)
- 2010s16
- 2000s6
- 1990s20(3 EF3+)
- 1980s8(1 EF3+)
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s8(1 EF3+)
- 1950s13(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 21 mi | 13 mi | 6 / 60 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 20 mi | 106 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 23 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jan 7, 1989 | F4 | 13 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 55 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 18 mi | 40.89 mi | 6 / 16 |
| Apr 1, 1974 | F3 | 1 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 29, 1963 | F3 | 23 mi | 23.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 10, 1959 | F3 | 14 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 18, 1957 | F3 | 24 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF2 | 17 mi | 12.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 2022 | EF2 | 15 mi | 26.85 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF2 | 25 mi | 2.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 86, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lawrenceville
The Storm Prediction Center has 78 hail reports within 10 miles of Lawrenceville since 1963, made on 57 separate days. Of these, 45 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 31, 1998. The most recent report is from March 30, 2025. April has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lawrenceville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lawrenceville 2WSW, IL, 3 miles west of Lawrenceville at 451 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 21°F. May is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 46.8 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 40 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 98 nights a year. Snowfall averages 15.5 inches a year, most of it in December. That 46.8 inches is more than at 133 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (91%). Vincennes, IN, 9 miles southeast, has its own station (Vincennes 5 NE, IN): 46.8 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 89°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 21 | 3.3 | 6 | 3.8 |
| Feb | 44 | 25 | 2.7 | 5 | 4.2 |
| Mar | 55 | 33 | 3.6 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Apr | 67 | 43 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 63 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 66 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 63 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 56 | 3.6 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 44 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 55 | 34 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 44 | 26 | 3.4 | 6 | 5.2 |
| Year | 66 | 44 | 46.8 | 73 | 15.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lawrenceville 2WSW, IL (451 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 Lawrenceville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 234 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lawrenceville: 185 thunderstorm wind reports, 30 floods, 16 flash floods, 2 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $23.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 91 mph, on March 8, 2009. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 263 have had fewer than Lawrenceville.
June 11, 2011: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Lawrenceville — 1 injured, $16,000 damage.
June 4, 2008: flood 9 miles from the centre of Lawrenceville — $20.0 million damage.
June 8, 2008: flood 10 miles from the centre of Lawrenceville — $1.5 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 Lawrenceville's ZIP code 62439 have filed 15 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1995, and were paid $139,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 40% 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, 43 have fewer than Lawrenceville.
Lawrence County, which includes Lawrenceville, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1996, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 flood, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lawrence County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $13.7 million a year, the 62nd highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.4 million (54%), 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.