NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Orion, 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 Orion, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 170 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 170
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Orion
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Orion; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 51 mph winds when its centre passed 47 miles away. Of the 548 Illinois cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Orion. The highest rating among the 170 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 5 times; the most recent, on March 13, 1990, came within 18 miles. Of the 170, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 92 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 44. The most recent tornado was on July 11, 2025. Orion has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 75% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 84 times since 1966, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Orion.
Compare Orion's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Orion
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Orion: 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 Orion
By decade
- 2020s44
- 2010s24
- 2000s24
- 1990s29(1 EF3+)
- 1980s8
- 1970s23(3 EF3+)
- 1960s15(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 1990 | F3 | 18 mi | 15.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 15, 1978 | F3 | 16 mi | 6.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 1974 | F3 | 14 mi | 48.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 13, 1974 | F3 | 21 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1966 | F3 | 12 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 2025 | EF2 | 19 mi | 7.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 2023 | EF2 | 15 mi | 2.79 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 2023 | EF2 | 9 mi | 0.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 21 mi | 6.82 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 21 mi | 9.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 19 mi | 3.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 9 mi | 3.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 170, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Orion
The Storm Prediction Center has 84 hail reports within 10 miles of Orion since 1966, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 53 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 20, 2023. The most recent report is from October 24, 2024. April has the most reports, 31.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Orion
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Moline Quad City International Airport, IL, 10 miles northwest of Orion at 592 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 15°F. June is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.7 inches; the year adds up to 38.2 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 22 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 129 nights a year. Snowfall averages 36.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.2 inches is more than at 39 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (27%). Colona, 9 miles north, has its own station (Le Claire L&D 14, IA): 37.2 inches a year, 1.0 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 15 | 1.7 | 5 | 10.8 |
| Feb | 37 | 19 | 1.8 | 5 | 8.6 |
| Mar | 50 | 30 | 2.6 | 6 | 4.4 |
| Apr | 63 | 40 | 3.8 | 7 | 1.1 |
| May | 74 | 51 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 63 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 54 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 43 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 50 | 31 | 2.3 | 5 | 2.1 |
| Dec | 37 | 21 | 2.0 | 5 | 8.8 |
| Year | 61 | 41 | 38.2 | 69 | 36.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Moline Quad City International Airport, IL (592 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 Orion
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 149 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Orion: 124 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods, 8 floods and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 2 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $5.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 94 mph, on July 21, 2008. June has had the most flash floods, 6 of 14. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 221 have had fewer than Orion.
July 21, 2008: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Orion — 2 killed, 4 injured.
July 24, 2009: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Orion — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
March 9, 2002: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Orion — 1 injured.
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
Henry County, which includes Orion, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Floodng, on September 20, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Henry County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $24.4 million a year, the 40th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.8 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.