NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mendota, 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 Mendota, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 109 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 109
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
14 deaths in all
What the records show for Mendota
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Mendota; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 59 miles away. Of the 548 Illinois cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Mendota. The strongest of the 109 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on April 9, 2015; its path came within 23 miles, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an F3 on April 20, 2004, killed 8 people. Of the 109, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 62 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 36. The most recent tornado was on May 24, 2024. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 70% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Mendota. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 57 times since 1957, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 76% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Mendota.
Compare Mendota's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mendota
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Mendota: 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 Mendota
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s33(2 EF3+)
- 2000s14(1 EF3+)
- 1990s8(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s19(2 EF3+)
- 1960s9
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 2015 | EF4 | 23 mi | 30.14 mi | 2 / 11 |
| Apr 20, 2004 | F3 | 15 mi | 15.8 mi | 8 / 12 |
| Feb 28, 2017 | EF3 | 17 mi | 11.5 mi | 2 / 14 |
| Dec 6, 1951 | F3 | 2 mi | 21.9 mi | 1 / 1 |
| May 9, 1995 | F3 | 24 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1977 | F3 | 6 mi | 6.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 17, 1972 | F3 | 21 mi | 81.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 6, 1972 | F2 | 16 mi | 17.5 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 12 mi | 9.29 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2016 | EF2 | 24 mi | 8.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2015 | EF2 | 6 mi | 7.8 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 20, 2004 | F2 | 14 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 109, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mendota
The Storm Prediction Center has 57 hail reports within 10 miles of Mendota since 1957, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 38 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on July 13, 2004. The most recent report is from July 10, 2025. April has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mendota
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Paw Paw 2S, IL, 11 miles northeast of Mendota at 889 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 12°F. May is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.6 inches; the year adds up to 36.6 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 148 nights a year. Snowfall averages 30.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 36.6 inches is more than at 11 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (8%). Utica, 13 miles south, has its own station (Peru, IL): 38.1 inches a year, 1.5 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 12 | 1.6 | 4 | 9.6 |
| Feb | 32 | 16 | 1.7 | 4 | 6.7 |
| Mar | 45 | 26 | 2.2 | 6 | 3.6 |
| Apr | 59 | 36 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.9 |
| May | 70 | 48 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 60 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 52 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 40 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 46 | 28 | 2.4 | 5 | 1.7 |
| Dec | 33 | 18 | 1.9 | 4 | 7.5 |
| Year | 58 | 38 | 36.6 | 69 | 30.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Paw Paw 2S, IL (889 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 Mendota
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 102 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mendota: 87 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 6 floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $517,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 17, 2017. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 90 have had fewer than Mendota.
October 3, 2000: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Mendota — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Several fields of corn were blown over by strong winds.”
February 17, 2008: flood 7 miles from the centre of Mendota — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain and melting snow on frozen ground caused flooding of roads, fields, and basements across many parts of LaSalle County.”
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 Mendota's ZIP code 61342 have filed 50 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $136,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1978, with 18. 34% 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, 159 have fewer than Mendota.
LaSalle County, which includes Mendota, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 snowstorms, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives LaSalle County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for hail and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $60.5 million a year, the 16th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $33.1 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 Mendota
- Earlville, IL10 mi
- Utica, IL13 mi
- La Salle, IL14 mi
- Peru, IL15 mi
- Spring Valley, IL15 mi
- Amboy, IL17 mi
- Leland, IL17 mi
- Oglesby, IL17 mi
- Ottawa, IL19 mi
- Granville, IL20 mi
- Princeton, IL21 mi
- Sheridan, IL22 mi
All Illinois cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Mendota with another place →