NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lena, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Lena, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 81 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 81
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Lena
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lena; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 9 miles away. Of the 548 Illinois cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Lena. The highest rating among the 81 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 8, 1988, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on October 8, 1958, killed 1 person. Of the 81, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 45 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on July 15, 2024. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 93% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Lena. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 61 times since 1972, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 72% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Lena.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lena
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Lena: 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 Lena
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s14
- 2000s16
- 1990s10
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s7
- 1960s10(2 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 1988 | F3 | 23 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 16, 1967 | F3 | 11 mi | 27.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 24, 1967 | F3 | 18 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Oct 8, 1958 | F2 | 19 mi | 81 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 2024 | EF2 | in town | 15.41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2024 | EF2 | 23 mi | 6.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 2013 | EF2 | 22 mi | 6.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 9, 1979 | F2 | 18 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 29, 1969 | F2 | 21 mi | 10.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 1969 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 1967 | F2 | 10 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 2, 1963 | F2 | 23 mi | 9.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 81, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lena
The Storm Prediction Center has 61 hail reports within 10 miles of Lena since 1972, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on August 16, 2025, the most recent report. June has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lena
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Stockton 3 NNE, IL, 8 miles west of Lena at 970 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 12°F. June is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.2 inches; the year adds up to 38.6 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 143 nights a year. Snowfall averages 35.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.6 inches is more than at 48 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (33%). Freeport, 12 miles southeast, has its own station (Freeport Waste Wtp, IL): 38.6 inches a year, the same as here, and the same July average high, 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 12 | 1.2 | 3 | 10.7 |
| Feb | 32 | 16 | 1.5 | 4 | 8.1 |
| Mar | 45 | 27 | 2.2 | 5 | 4.9 |
| Apr | 59 | 37 | 3.9 | 7 | 1.3 |
| May | 71 | 49 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 79 | 59 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 61 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 59 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 51 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 40 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Nov | 46 | 29 | 2.3 | 5 | 2.1 |
| Dec | 33 | 18 | 1.7 | 4 | 8.0 |
| Year | 58 | 38 | 38.6 | 69 | 35.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Stockton 3 NNE, IL (970 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 Lena
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 173 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lena: 123 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 flash floods, 12 floods and 11 heavy rain events. They killed 2 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $11.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on April 19, 1996. July has had the most flash floods, 9 of 27. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 377 have had fewer than Lena.
July 27, 2011: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Lena — 2 killed, $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Torrential rains of 3 to 8 inches caused some flash flooding across parts of Stephenson County during the evening of July 27 and morning of July 28. There were reports of cattle scattered through county by flood waters with some washed downstream.”
July 31, 2008: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Lena — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
NWS: “Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew down a pole barn on State Line Rd and Swiss Rd near Winslow, IL at 12:35 pm July 31. One person was injured with several fractures.”
February 11, 1999: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Lena — 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
Stephenson County, which includes Lena, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 4 snowstorms, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Stephenson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $28.9 million a year, the 34th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.8 million (55%), 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 Lena
- Stockton, IL10 mi
- Freeport, IL12 mi
- Monroe, WI18 mi
- Lanark, IL19 mi
- Mount Carroll, IL21 mi
- Davis, IL22 mi
- Argyle, WI22 mi
- Savanna, IL25 mi
- Shullsburg, WI25 mi
- Pecatonica, IL25 mi
- Darlington, WI25 mi
- Durand, IL27 mi
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