NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Nashville, 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 Nashville, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 122 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 122
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
18 deaths in all
What the records show for Nashville
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Nashville; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 51 mph winds when its centre passed 21 miles away. The record near Nashville begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 42 miles away. Of the 5 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Nashville is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 122 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on December 18, 1957; its path came within 20 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an F4 on February 24, 1956, killed 6 people. Of the 122, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 58 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on April 19, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 58% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Nashville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 64 times since 1957, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Nashville.
Compare Nashville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Nashville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 43 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 Nashville: 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 Nashville
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s14(1 EF3+)
- 2000s33(1 EF3+)
- 1990s19
- 1980s5(2 EF3+)
- 1970s6
- 1960s13(1 EF3+)
- 1950s21(8 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 18, 1957 | F5 | 20 mi | 5.4 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Feb 24, 1956 | F4 | 20 mi | 77.6 mi | 6 / 36 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF4 | 6 mi | 10.59 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Dec 18, 1957 | F4 | 17 mi | 16.8 mi | 1 / 45 |
| Mar 11, 2006 | F3 | 13 mi | 53.5 mi | 2 / 12 |
| Dec 2, 1982 | F3 | 20 mi | 10.5 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1958 | F3 | 18 mi | 60.5 mi | 1 / 8 |
| May 29, 1982 | F3 | 20 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Dec 21, 1967 | F3 | 20 mi | 29.8 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Apr 5, 1958 | F3 | 25 mi | 20.6 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Dec 18, 1957 | F3 | 21 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 18, 1957 | F3 | 25 mi | 17.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 122, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Nashville
The Storm Prediction Center has 64 hail reports within 10 miles of Nashville since 1957, made on 42 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently April 28, 2012. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Nashville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Nashville 1 E, IL, 1 mile east of Nashville at 513 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 21°F. May is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 42.4 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 31 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 94 nights a year. Snowfall averages 11.7 inches a year, most of it in January and February. That 42.4 inches is more than at 110 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (75%). Coulterville, 16 miles southwest, has its own station (Sparta 1 W, IL): 45.7 inches a year, 3.3 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 | 39 | 21 | 2.7 | 5 | 3.7 |
| Feb | 44 | 25 | 2.2 | 4 | 3.7 |
| Mar | 54 | 34 | 3.5 | 7 | 1.2 |
| Apr | 66 | 45 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 56 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 64 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 67 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 65 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 58 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 46 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 54 | 35 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 43 | 26 | 2.7 | 6 | 2.5 |
| Year | 65 | 45 | 42.4 | 69 | 11.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Nashville 1 E, IL (513 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 Nashville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 60 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Nashville: 56 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on June 10, 2003.
July 7, 2012: lightning strike in Nashville — 1 killed.
NWS: “A 51 year old man was killed by a lightning strike when he stepped out of his front door onto the porch.”
June 18, 1998: thunderstorm wind in Nashville — 1 injured.
September 25, 2012: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Nashville — 1 injured.
NWS: “Rear flank downdraft winds associated with a tornadic thunderstorm destroyed an empty grain bin on a farm on Canary Road, just south of I-64. Then the winds blew over an east bound tractor trailer on I-64 near where the interstate crosses over County Road 4.”
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
Washington County, which includes Nashville, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 2002, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 2 tornadoes, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Floodng, on September 20, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Washington County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.4 million a year, the 55th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.7 million (25%), 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 Nashville
- Coulterville, IL16 mi
- Albers, IL17 mi
- Woodlawn, IL18 mi
- Pinckneyville, IL19 mi
- Centralia, IL19 mi
- Carlyle, IL19 mi
- New Baden, IL20 mi
- Breese, IL20 mi
- Aviston, IL22 mi
- Sandoval, IL23 mi
- Sparta, IL24 mi
- Mascoutah, IL24 mi
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