NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Metropolis, 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 Metropolis, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 113 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 113
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Metropolis
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Metropolis; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 69 miles away. The record near Metropolis begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 13 miles away. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Metropolis has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 113 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 6, 2003; its path came within 10 miles, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an EF3 on November 17, 2013, killed 3 people. Of the 113, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 81 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Metropolis. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 87 times since 1956, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 55% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Metropolis.
Compare Metropolis's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Metropolis
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Metropolis: 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 Metropolis
By decade
- 2020s17
- 2010s37(1 EF3+)
- 2000s27(4 EF3+)
- 1990s9
- 1980s3
- 1970s11(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s4(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 2003 | F4 | 10 mi | 33 mi | 2 / 33 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 6 mi | 42.5 mi | 3 / 34 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 19 mi | 19.3 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Nov 13, 1951 | F3 | 25 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 11 |
| Sep 22, 2006 | F3 | 4 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 12 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 25 mi | 25.4 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Jun 12, 1958 | F3 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 13 mi | 11.97 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 7 mi | 18.18 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 23 mi | 9.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | EF2 | 19 mi | 15.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 113, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Metropolis
The Storm Prediction Center has 87 hail reports within 10 miles of Metropolis since 1956, made on 66 separate days. Of these, 50 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 4, 2012. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Metropolis
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Brookport Dam 52, IL, 6 miles southeast of Metropolis at 330 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 25°F. April is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 49.2 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 42 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 83 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 49.2 inches is more than at 142 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (97%). West Paducah, KY, 7 miles south, has its own station (Paducah, KY): 50.4 inches a year, 1.2 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 25 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Feb | 48 | 28 | 3.8 | 6 | 1.8 |
| Mar | 58 | 36 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 69 | 46 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 56 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 65 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 68 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 66 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 59 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 47 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 36 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 47 | 29 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Year | 68 | 47 | 49.2 | 74 | 3.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Brookport Dam 52, IL (330 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 Metropolis
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 374 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Metropolis: 200 thunderstorm wind reports, 111 floods, 30 flash floods, 24 heavy rain events and 9 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 17, and the NWS estimated $20.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on April 5, 1999. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 401 have had fewer than Metropolis.
March 2, 2011: flood 8 miles from the centre of Metropolis — 1 killed, 4 injured, $50,000 damage.
March 1, 2019: flood 9 miles from the centre of Metropolis — 1 killed.
May 5, 1996: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Metropolis — 2 injured, $100,000 damage.
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 Metropolis's ZIP code 62960 have filed 97 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $2.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Mid-spring storms in 2011: 55 claims (57% of all) and $1.4 million. 59% 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, 212 have fewer than Metropolis.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-spring storms2011 | 55 | $1.4 million |
Massac County, which includes Metropolis, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Massac County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for 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 $18.5 million a year, the 54th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.5 million (24%), 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.