NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lebanon, 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 Lebanon, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 158 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 18 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 158
- EF3 or stronger
- 18
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
52 deaths in all
What the records show for Lebanon
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lebanon; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 49 mph winds when its centre passed 8 miles away. The record near Lebanon begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 69 miles away. Of the 5 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Lebanon 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 158 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 6 times; the most recent, on November 17, 2013, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on February 10, 1959, killed 21 people. Of the 158, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 83 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 36. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Lebanon has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 65% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 127 times since 1955, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Lebanon has more hail reports within 10 miles than 59% of the 548 Illinois cities.
Compare Lebanon's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lebanon
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 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 Lebanon: 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 Lebanon
By decade
- 2020s30(1 EF3+)
- 2010s27(4 EF3+)
- 2000s26
- 1990s16
- 1980s9(4 EF3+)
- 1970s12(1 EF3+)
- 1960s17(3 EF3+)
- 1950s21(5 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 10, 1959 | F4 | 19 mi | 23.9 mi | 21 / 345 |
| Feb 24, 1956 | F4 | 1 mi | 77.6 mi | 6 / 36 |
| Jan 24, 1967 | F4 | 22 mi | 25 mi | 3 / 216 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF4 | 23 mi | 10.59 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Apr 22, 2011 | EF4 | 18 mi | 21.3 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 3, 1981 | F4 | 17 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 32 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF3 | 16 mi | 4.22 mi | 6 / 1 |
| May 15, 1968 | F3 | 15 mi | 2 mi | 4 / 60 |
| Dec 2, 1982 | F3 | 8 mi | 10.5 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Dec 2, 1950 | F3 | 13 mi | 18 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Apr 5, 1958 | F3 | 11 mi | 60.5 mi | 1 / 8 |
| May 31, 2013 | EF3 | 19 mi | 10.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 158, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lebanon
The Storm Prediction Center has 127 hail reports within 10 miles of Lebanon since 1955, made on 84 separate days. Of these, 89 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on April 28, 2012. The most recent report is from April 30, 2025. May has the most reports, 31.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lebanon
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Belleville Siu Rsch, IL, 6 miles south of Lebanon 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%). Fairview Heights, 10 miles west, has its own station (Cahokia St Louis Airport, IL): 41.0 inches a year, 2.4 less than here, and a July average high of 89°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 Lebanon
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 182 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lebanon: 171 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $750,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on June 10, 2003. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 10. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 125 have had fewer than Lebanon.
March 14, 2025: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Lebanon — 2 injured, $150,000 damage.
March 14, 2025: thunderstorm wind in Lebanon — 2 injured, $35,000 damage.
NWS: “The St. Clair County emergency manager reported an overturned mobile home with residents trapped inside.”
June 11, 2002: thunderstorm wind in Lebanon — 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Lebanon's ZIP code 62254 have filed 16 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $154,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 44% 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, 52 have fewer than Lebanon.
St. Clair County, which includes Lebanon, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 floods, 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Floodng, on September 20, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives St. Clair County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $174.6 million a year, the 6th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $71.7 million (41%), 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.