NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Makanda, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Makanda, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 118 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 118
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
25 deaths in all
What the records show for Makanda
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Makanda; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 49 mph winds when its centre passed 66 miles away. The record near Makanda begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 18 miles away. Of the 4 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Makanda has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The highest rating among the 118 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 6 times; the most recent, on May 16, 2025, came within 5 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on December 18, 1957, killed 11 people. Of the 118, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 76 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 61% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Makanda. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 74 times since 1964, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 64% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Makanda.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Makanda
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Makanda: 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 Makanda
By decade
- 2020s20(2 EF3+)
- 2010s36(1 EF3+)
- 2000s20(3 EF3+)
- 1990s13(1 EF3+)
- 1980s3(1 EF3+)
- 1970s14
- 1960s4
- 1950s8(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 18, 1957 | F4 | 13 mi | 28.3 mi | 11 / 200 |
| May 29, 1982 | F4 | 13 mi | 17 mi | 10 / 181 |
| May 6, 2003 | F4 | 25 mi | 33 mi | 2 / 33 |
| Feb 28, 2017 | EF4 | 21 mi | 53.47 mi | 1 / 12 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF4 | 5 mi | 16.28 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Sep 22, 2006 | F4 | 16 mi | 27.5 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 17 mi | 19.3 mi | 1 / 10 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 9 mi | 4.87 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 19, 1991 | F3 | 16 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Apr 5, 1958 | F3 | 22 mi | 20.6 mi | 0 / 11 |
| May 21, 1957 | F3 | 1 mi | 8.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 13 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 118, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Makanda
The Storm Prediction Center has 74 hail reports within 10 miles of Makanda since 1964, made on 61 separate days. Of these, 49 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on November 26, 1965. The most recent report is from September 14, 2025. April has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Makanda
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Carbondale Sewage Plt, IL, 8 miles north of Makanda at 390 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 23°F. April is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 49.0 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 38 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 103 nights a year. Snowfall averages 11.4 inches a year, most of it in February. That 49.0 inches is more than at 141 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (97%). Cobden, 7 miles southwest, has its own station (Anna 2 NNE, IL): 51.1 inches a year, 2.1 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 23 | 3.4 | 6 | 3.2 |
| Feb | 46 | 26 | 3.1 | 6 | 4.0 |
| Mar | 56 | 35 | 4.5 | 8 | 1.3 |
| Apr | 68 | 44 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 55 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 64 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 68 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 56 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 44 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 56 | 35 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 45 | 27 | 3.7 | 6 | 2.7 |
| Year | 67 | 45 | 49.0 | 77 | 11.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Carbondale Sewage Plt, IL (390 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 Makanda
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 102 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Makanda: 62 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 flash floods, 8 floods, 8 heavy rain events and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $3.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 115 mph, on January 3, 2000. July has had the most flash floods, 7 of 21. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 322 have had fewer than Makanda.
June 16, 2019: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Makanda — 1 killed, $30,000 damage.
March 29, 2007: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Makanda — 1 killed.
June 9, 2010: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Makanda — 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
Jackson County, which includes Makanda, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Jackson County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $50.0 million a year, the 20th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.0 million (26%), 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 Makanda
- Cobden, IL7 mi
- Carbondale, IL8 mi
- Anna, IL11 mi
- Carterville, IL12 mi
- Goreville, IL12 mi
- Murphysboro, IL14 mi
- De Soto, IL15 mi
- Jonesboro, IL15 mi
- Marion, IL16 mi
- Herrin, IL16 mi
- Dongola, IL17 mi
- Creal Springs, IL18 mi
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