NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Oakley, 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 Oakley, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 174 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 174
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Oakley
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Oakley; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 42 miles away. The record near Oakley begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Oakley has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 174 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 20, 1976; its path came within 12 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on May 15, 1968, killed 4 people. Of the 174, 14 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 98 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 40. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Oakley has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 78% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 64 times since 1958, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Oakley.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Oakley
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 35 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 Oakley: 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 Oakley
By decade
- 2020s29
- 2010s24
- 2000s45(1 EF3+)
- 1990s23(2 EF3+)
- 1980s16
- 1970s22(2 EF3+)
- 1960s9(2 EF3+)
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 1976 | F4 | 12 mi | 63.7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 4 mi | 20.9 mi | 1 / 26 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 15 mi | 42.9 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Aug 19, 2009 | EF3 | 22 mi | 24.27 mi | 0 / 19 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 9 mi | 14.5 mi | 0 / 29 |
| May 9, 1995 | F3 | 23 mi | 50 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 4 mi | 31.8 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 27, 1951 | F3 | 9 mi | 9.6 mi | 0 / 35 |
| Dec 28, 2025 | EF2 | 12 mi | 23.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 18 mi | 12.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 18 mi | 21.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 1, 2018 | EF2 | 24 mi | 8.39 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 174, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Oakley
The Storm Prediction Center has 64 hail reports within 10 miles of Oakley since 1958, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 43 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on June 23, 1960. The most recent report is from November 18, 2025. May has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Oakley
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Decatur Airport, IL, 11 miles south of Oakley at 675 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 20°F. May and June are the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 36.4 inches over 66 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 27 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 113 nights a year. That 36.4 inches is more than at 8 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (5%). Maroa, 9 miles west, has its own station (Decatur Wtp, IL): 40.4 inches a year, 4.0 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 20 | 2.0 | 4 |
| Feb | 40 | 23 | 1.8 | 4 |
| Mar | 52 | 32 | 2.5 | 6 |
| Apr | 64 | 42 | 3.7 | 7 |
| May | 74 | 53 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Jul | 86 | 66 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Aug | 84 | 63 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Sep | 79 | 55 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Oct | 66 | 44 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Nov | 51 | 34 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Dec | 40 | 25 | 2.1 | 5 |
| Year | 63 | 43 | 36.4 | 66 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Decatur Airport, IL (675 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 Oakley
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 104 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Oakley: 95 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $4.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 109 mph, on April 16, 2006. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 90 have had fewer than Oakley.
August 12, 1999: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Oakley — $2.2 million damage.
August 19, 2025: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Oakley — $1.0 million damage.
May 31, 2013: thunderstorm wind in Oakley — $213,000 damage.
NWS: “The roof of a house was severely damaged in Argenta. A large tree fell on a house and several other trees were damaged as well.”
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
Macon County, which includes Oakley, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 severe storms, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on August 15, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Macon County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, 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 $47.0 million a year, the 22nd highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.4 million (45%), 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 Oakley
- Maroa, IL9 mi
- Forsyth, IL9 mi
- Decatur, IL12 mi
- Monticello, IL13 mi
- Clinton, IL14 mi
- Mt Zion, IL15 mi
- Farmer City, IL20 mi
- Heyworth, IL25 mi
- Le Roy, IL25 mi
- Mount Pulaski, IL25 mi
- Mahomet, IL27 mi
- Arthur, IL27 mi
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