NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mount Morris, 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 Mount Morris, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 89 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 89
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Mount Morris
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Mount Morris; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 20 miles away. Of the 548 Illinois cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Mount Morris. The strongest of the 89 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on April 9, 2015; its path came within 15 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 89, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 43 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on July 15, 2024. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 89% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Mount Morris. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 56 times since 1960, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 76% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Mount Morris.
Compare Mount Morris's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mount Morris
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Mount Morris: 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 Morris
By decade
- 2020s21
- 2010s15(1 EF3+)
- 2000s7
- 1990s16
- 1980s7
- 1970s9(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6
- 1950s8
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 2015 | EF4 | 15 mi | 30.14 mi | 2 / 11 |
| Aug 5, 1979 | F3 | 7 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 6, 1972 | F2 | 7 mi | 17.5 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Jul 8, 1993 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 17, 1979 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1962 | F2 | 20 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1962 | F2 | 20 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 15, 1958 | F2 | 19 mi | 74.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 30, 1956 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 18, 1955 | F2 | 17 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF1 | 15 mi | 27.51 mi | 1 / 40 |
| Jul 15, 2024 | EF1 | 16 mi | 29.81 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 89, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mount Morris
The Storm Prediction Center has 56 hail reports within 10 miles of Mount Morris since 1960, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 34 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on April 18, 2002. The most recent report is from April 22, 2025. April has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mount Morris
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Polo 5NW, IL, 9 miles west of Mount Morris at 856 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 13°F. June is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 40.1 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 16 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 138 nights a year. That 40.1 inches is more than at 79 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (54%). Byron, 11 miles northeast, has its own station (Rockford Gtr Rockford Airport, IL): 37.2 inches a year, 2.9 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 13 | 1.9 | 5 |
| Feb | 35 | 17 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Mar | 48 | 28 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Apr | 61 | 38 | 3.9 | 8 |
| May | 73 | 49 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Jun | 82 | 59 | 5.1 | 8 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Aug | 83 | 59 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Sep | 77 | 51 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Oct | 64 | 40 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Nov | 48 | 29 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Dec | 35 | 19 | 2.1 | 6 |
| Year | 60 | 39 | 40.1 | 73 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Polo 5NW, IL (856 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 Morris
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 133 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mount Morris: 117 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 flash floods, 6 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $506,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on August 10, 2020. August has had the most flash floods, 5 of 9. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 107 have had fewer than Mount Morris.
August 10, 2020: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Mount Morris — 5 injured.
NWS: “Straight line winds gusting to 100 mph hit the town of Forreston producing widespread tree and power line damage. Tree and power line damage occurred across 48 blocks of the village and structural damage occurred across 13 blocks.”
August 4, 2008: thunderstorm wind in Mount Morris — $300,000 damage.
NWS: “Trees as large as two feet in diameter were blown down, some onto houses. Numerous utility poles and power lines were blown down.”
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
Ogle County, which includes Mount Morris, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 snowstorms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ogle County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $36.1 million a year, the 25th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.1 million (58%), 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.