NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Monticello, 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 Monticello, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 187 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 187
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Monticello
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Monticello; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 36 miles away. The record near Monticello begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Monticello has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 187 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 20, 1976; its path came within 10 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on May 15, 1968, killed 4 people. Of the 187, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 98 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 46. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Monticello has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 88% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 58 times since 1956, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 74% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Monticello.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Monticello
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Monticello: 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 Monticello
By decade
- 2020s27
- 2010s24(1 EF3+)
- 2000s47
- 1990s33(2 EF3+)
- 1980s12
- 1970s24(3 EF3+)
- 1960s13(2 EF3+)
- 1950s7(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 1976 | F4 | 10 mi | 63.7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | 21 mi | 156.7 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 19 mi | 5.9 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 17 mi | 20.9 mi | 1 / 26 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 19 mi | 18.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 17 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 21 mi | 14.5 mi | 0 / 29 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 23 mi | 38.6 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 5 mi | 31.8 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 27, 1951 | F3 | 22 mi | 9.6 mi | 0 / 35 |
| Dec 28, 2025 | EF2 | 17 mi | 23.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 11 mi | 12.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 187, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Monticello
The Storm Prediction Center has 58 hail reports within 10 miles of Monticello since 1956, made on 45 separate days. Of these, 33 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on August 26, 2000. The most recent report is from May 20, 2025. May has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Monticello
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Champaign 9 SW, IL, 11 miles east of Monticello at 700 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 17°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 39.7 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 128 nights a year. That 39.7 inches is more than at 69 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (47%). Oakley, 13 miles west, has its own station (Decatur Airport, IL): 36.4 inches a year, 3.3 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 17 | 2.3 | 6 |
| Feb | 38 | 21 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Mar | 50 | 30 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Apr | 63 | 40 | 3.7 | 7 |
| May | 74 | 51 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Jun | 82 | 60 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Jul | 84 | 62 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Aug | 82 | 60 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Sep | 77 | 52 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Oct | 65 | 41 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Nov | 50 | 31 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Dec | 38 | 23 | 2.3 | 6 |
| Year | 61 | 41 | 39.7 | 72 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Champaign 9 SW, IL (700 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 Monticello
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 87 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Monticello: 78 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $1.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 25, 2011. May has had the most flash floods, 5 of 6. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 51 have had fewer than Monticello.
August 2, 2003: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Monticello — 5 injured.
June 29, 1998: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Monticello — $300,000 damage.
April 8, 2020: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Monticello — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous power poles were blown down along Route 105 between Bement and Monticello.”
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
Piatt County, which includes Monticello, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 2 tornadoes, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Piatt County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.6 million a year, the 64th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.2 million (49%), 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 Monticello
- Oakley, IL13 mi
- Mahomet, IL15 mi
- Farmer City, IL16 mi
- Champaign, IL17 mi
- Savoy, IL17 mi
- Tolono, IL17 mi
- Urbana, IL21 mi
- Maroa, IL21 mi
- Forsyth, IL22 mi
- Fisher, IL22 mi
- Clinton, IL22 mi
- Tuscola, IL22 mi
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