NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mount Carmel, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Mount Carmel, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 109 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 109
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Mount Carmel
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Mount Carmel; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 74 miles away. The record near Mount Carmel begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 52 miles away. Of the 5 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Mount Carmel is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The highest rating among the 109 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on June 2, 1990, passed within a mile of the city centre. The deadliest, an F4 on June 2, 1990, killed 6 people. Of the 109, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 62 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 70% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Mount Carmel. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 68 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 68% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Mount Carmel.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mount Carmel
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 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 Mount Carmel: 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 Mount Carmel
By decade
- 2020s24
- 2010s26(1 EF3+)
- 2000s12(1 EF3+)
- 1990s10(2 EF3+)
- 1980s11(2 EF3+)
- 1970s12(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s7(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 18 mi | 13 mi | 6 / 60 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | in town | 106 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Jan 7, 1989 | F4 | 5 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 55 |
| Feb 28, 2017 | EF3 | 14 mi | 44.13 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Apr 21, 2002 | F3 | 19 mi | 31.5 mi | 1 / 42 |
| Apr 3, 1989 | F3 | 15 mi | 3.1 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 1, 1974 | F3 | 21 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 18, 1957 | F3 | 17 mi | 19.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jan 29, 2008 | EF2 | 13 mi | 7.01 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 24 mi | 10.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | EF2 | 20 mi | 57.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 2024 | EF2 | 9 mi | 8.4 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 Mount Carmel
The Storm Prediction Center has 68 hail reports within 10 miles of Mount Carmel since 1955, made on 56 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 3, 1996. The most recent report is from February 26, 2025. May has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mount Carmel
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mt Carmel, IL, 3 miles east of Mount Carmel at 430 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 25°F. May is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 48.8 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 46 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 108 nights a year. Snowfall averages 8.9 inches a year, most of it in December. That 48.8 inches is more than at 140 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (96%). Princeton, IN, 14 miles east, has its own station (Princeton 1 W, IN): 49.9 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 25 | 3.6 | 6 | 2.3 |
| Feb | 45 | 27 | 3.1 | 6 | 2.5 |
| Mar | 55 | 36 | 4.1 | 7 | 1.2 |
| Apr | 67 | 46 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 57 | 5.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 66 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 69 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 67 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 59 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 47 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 55 | 36 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 44 | 28 | 3.5 | 7 | 2.8 |
| Year | 66 | 47 | 48.8 | 78 | 8.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mt Carmel, IL (430 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 Mount Carmel
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 279 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mount Carmel: 181 floods, 72 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 11 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $3.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 19, 2011. July has had the most flash floods, 3 of 13. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 195 have had fewer than Mount Carmel.
March 13, 2015: flood 2 miles from the centre of Mount Carmel — 1 killed, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “Minor flooding occurred on the Wabash River. 78 feet on the 19th.”
October 24, 2001: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Mount Carmel — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “A line of thunderstorms produced strong winds across the county. Mount Carmel's public utility lost about 15 poles, six of which were steel.”
October 24, 2001: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Mount Carmel — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “Straight-line winds from 70 to 75 MPH caused extensive damage in northern Gibson County. The first town affected was East Mt.”
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 Mount Carmel's ZIP code 62863 have filed 10 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1984, and were paid $30,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 40% 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, 0 have fewer than Mount Carmel.
Wabash County, which includes Mount Carmel, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1989, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 severe storms, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wabash County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.6 million a year, the 87th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.7 million (36%), 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 Mount Carmel
- Owensville, IN10 mi
- Princeton, IN14 mi
- Albion, IL14 mi
- Poseyville, IN17 mi
- Fort Branch, IN18 mi
- Haubstadt, IN21 mi
- Bridgeport, IL21 mi
- New Harmony, IN21 mi
- Sumner, IL22 mi
- Wadesville, IN23 mi
- Lawrenceville, IL24 mi
- Vincennes, IN24 mi
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