NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Machesney Park, 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 Machesney Park, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 92 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 92
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
28 deaths in all
What the records show for Machesney Park
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Machesney Park; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 8 miles away. Of the 548 Illinois cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Machesney Park. The highest rating among the 92 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 9, 2015, came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 21, 1967, killed 24 people. Of the 92, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 59 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on June 3, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 86% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Machesney Park. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 153 times since 1960, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Machesney Park has more hail reports within 10 miles than 66% of the 548 Illinois cities.
Compare Machesney Park's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Machesney Park
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Machesney Park: 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 Machesney Park
By decade
- 2020s33
- 2010s17(1 EF3+)
- 2000s9(1 EF3+)
- 1990s9
- 1980s4
- 1970s9
- 1960s8(2 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 1967 | F4 | 11 mi | 25.5 mi | 24 / 450 |
| Apr 9, 2015 | EF4 | 16 mi | 30.14 mi | 2 / 11 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF3 | 11 mi | 13.1 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jan 24, 1967 | F3 | 22 mi | 24.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 1958 | F2 | 4 mi | 81 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2024 | EF2 | 20 mi | 6.03 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 2010 | EF2 | 4 mi | 18.1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Aug 17, 1979 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1975 | F2 | 23 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 1, 1971 | F2 | 12 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 21, 1966 | F2 | 24 mi | 33.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 30, 1958 | F2 | 2 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 92, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Machesney Park
The Storm Prediction Center has 153 hail reports within 10 miles of Machesney Park since 1960, made on 92 separate days. Of these, 107 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 2, 2018. The most recent report is from July 10, 2025. April has the most reports, 45.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Machesney Park
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Beloit, WI, 11 miles north of Machesney Park at 788 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 25°F and 11°F. June is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 37.3 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 142 nights a year. Snowfall averages 35.6 inches a year, most of it in December. That 37.3 inches is more than at 20 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (14%). Loves Park, 2 miles southeast, has its own station (Rockford Gtr Rockford Airport, IL): 37.2 inches a year, 0.1 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 11 | 1.6 | 5 | 9.8 |
| Feb | 29 | 14 | 1.5 | 4 | 7.3 |
| Mar | 42 | 24 | 2.1 | 5 | 4.3 |
| Apr | 55 | 34 | 3.7 | 7 | 1.1 |
| May | 67 | 46 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 76 | 56 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 60 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 58 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 71 | 50 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 58 | 39 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 43 | 27 | 2.4 | 5 | 2.7 |
| Dec | 31 | 17 | 2.0 | 5 | 10.2 |
| Year | 55 | 36 | 37.3 | 68 | 35.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Beloit, WI (788 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 Machesney Park
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 282 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Machesney Park: 201 thunderstorm wind reports, 40 floods, 22 flash floods, 13 heavy rain events and 6 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $9.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on May 17, 2017. July has had the most flash floods, 8 of 22. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 328 have had fewer than Machesney Park.
August 11, 2021: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Machesney Park — 1 killed, 2 injured.
July 14, 2024: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Machesney Park — 1 killed, 1 injured.
August 8, 2022: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Machesney Park — 3 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 Machesney Park's ZIP code 61115 have filed 575 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $10.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Mid-spring storms in 2013: 17 claims (3% of all) and $168,000, then Midwest Flooding in 1993 with 16. The year with the most claims was 2008, with 234. 6% 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, 304 have fewer than Machesney Park.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-spring storms2013 | 17 | $168,000 |
| Midwest Flooding1993 | 16 | $30,000 |
Winnebago County, which includes Machesney Park, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 snowstorms, 5 floods, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Floodng, on September 20, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Winnebago County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $121.6 million a year, the 9th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $67.8 million (56%), 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 Machesney Park
- Loves Park, IL2 mi
- Roscoe, IL5 mi
- Caledonia, IL6 mi
- Rockford, IL6 mi
- Rockton, IL7 mi
- South Beloit, IL9 mi
- Poplar Grove, IL10 mi
- Cherry Valley, IL10 mi
- Belvidere, IL12 mi
- Beloit, WI12 mi
- Winnebago, IL12 mi
- Durand, IL15 mi
All Illinois cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Machesney Park with another place →