NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mount Pulaski, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Mount Pulaski, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 189 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 189
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Mount Pulaski
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Mount Pulaski; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 60 miles away. The record near Mount Pulaski begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Mount Pulaski has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The highest rating among the 189 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 5, 1977, came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on May 15, 1968, killed 4 people. Of the 189, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 107 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 47. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Mount Pulaski has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 89% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 65 times since 1958, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Mount Pulaski.
Compare Mount Pulaski's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mount Pulaski
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 49 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 Mount Pulaski: 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 Pulaski
By decade
- 2020s28
- 2010s22
- 2000s57(1 EF3+)
- 1990s25(3 EF3+)
- 1980s13
- 1970s28(3 EF3+)
- 1960s7(2 EF3+)
- 1950s9(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 1957 | F4 | 23 mi | 4.3 mi | 2 / 50 |
| May 5, 1977 | F4 | 18 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 19 mi | 20.9 mi | 1 / 26 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 10 mi | 42.9 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Jun 27, 1951 | F3 | 19 mi | 18.2 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Aug 19, 2009 | EF3 | 5 mi | 24.27 mi | 0 / 19 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 14 mi | 14.5 mi | 0 / 29 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 23 mi | 9.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 9, 1995 | F3 | 7 mi | 50 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 26, 1978 | F3 | 21 mi | 8.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1968 | F3 | 24 mi | 12.6 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Jun 27, 1951 | F3 | 7 mi | 9.6 mi | 0 / 35 |
The strongest 12 of 189, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mount Pulaski
The Storm Prediction Center has 65 hail reports within 10 miles of Mount Pulaski since 1958, made on 43 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on August 13, 2011. The most recent report is from May 20, 2025. May has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mount Pulaski
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lincoln, IL, 11 miles north of Mount Pulaski at 583 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 18°F. July is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 39.9 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 126 nights a year. Snowfall averages 19.3 inches a year, most of it in February. That 39.9 inches is more than at 76 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (52%). Riverton, 15 miles southwest, has its own station (Springfield Capital Airport, IL): 38.2 inches a year, 1.7 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 18 | 2.2 | 5 | 5.7 |
| Feb | 40 | 22 | 1.9 | 5 | 6.2 |
| Mar | 52 | 31 | 2.7 | 6 | 1.8 |
| Apr | 64 | 41 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 52 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 64 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 61 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 53 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 42 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 51 | 32 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.6 |
| Dec | 39 | 23 | 2.3 | 6 | 4.9 |
| Year | 63 | 42 | 39.9 | 72 | 19.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lincoln, IL (583 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 Pulaski
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 109 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mount Pulaski: 82 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 flash floods, 3 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 4 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on December 1, 2018. June has had the most flash floods, 10 of 23. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 341 have had fewer than Mount Pulaski.
July 7, 2021: heavy rain event 10 miles from the centre of Mount Pulaski — 4 killed, 1 injured.
May 15, 2007: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Mount Pulaski — 1 injured.
July 21, 2008: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Mount Pulaski — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Nearly 300 trees and tree limbs were blown down in Mt. Pulaski.”
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
Logan County, which includes Mount Pulaski, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 severe storms, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on August 15, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Logan County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; 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 $20.3 million a year, the 51st highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.4 million (37%), 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 Pulaski
- Lincoln, IL11 mi
- Riverton, IL15 mi
- Sherman, IL17 mi
- Maroa, IL18 mi
- Atlanta, IL18 mi
- Forsyth, IL18 mi
- Clinton, IL20 mi
- Athens, IL20 mi
- Decatur, IL21 mi
- Rochester, IL22 mi
- Springfield, IL24 mi
- Oakley, IL25 mi
All Illinois cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Mount Pulaski with another place →