NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pinckneyville, 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 Pinckneyville, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 118 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 16 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 118
- EF3 or stronger
- 16
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
30 deaths in all
What the records show for Pinckneyville
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Pinckneyville; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 49 mph winds when its centre passed 34 miles away. The record near Pinckneyville begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 38 miles away. Of the 5 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Pinckneyville is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 118 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on December 18, 1957; its path came within 8 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an F4 on December 18, 1957, killed 11 people. Of the 118, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 60 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on April 20, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 61% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Pinckneyville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1986, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 79% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Pinckneyville.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pinckneyville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 59 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 Pinckneyville: 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 Pinckneyville
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s19(2 EF3+)
- 2000s32(2 EF3+)
- 1990s16
- 1980s8(2 EF3+)
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s8(1 EF3+)
- 1950s21(8 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 18, 1957 | F5 | 8 mi | 5.4 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Dec 18, 1957 | F4 | 21 mi | 28.3 mi | 11 / 200 |
| May 29, 1982 | F4 | 24 mi | 17 mi | 10 / 181 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF4 | 24 mi | 10.59 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Feb 28, 2017 | EF4 | 14 mi | 53.47 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Dec 18, 1957 | F4 | 22 mi | 16.8 mi | 1 / 45 |
| Sep 22, 2006 | F4 | 20 mi | 27.5 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Mar 11, 2006 | F3 | 3 mi | 53.5 mi | 2 / 12 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 22 mi | 4.5 mi | 1 / 20 |
| May 29, 1982 | F3 | 5 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Dec 21, 1967 | F3 | 5 mi | 29.8 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Apr 5, 1958 | F3 | 11 mi | 20.6 mi | 0 / 11 |
The strongest 12 of 118, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pinckneyville
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of Pinckneyville since 1986, made on 45 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 7 days, most recently March 30, 2025. The most recent report is from March 30, 2025. April has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pinckneyville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Du Quoin 4 SE, IL, 12 miles southeast of Pinckneyville at 420 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 47.8 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 38 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 93 nights a year. Snowfall averages 11.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.8 inches is more than at 136 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (93%). Coulterville, 14 miles northwest, has its own station (Sparta 1 W, IL): 45.7 inches a year, 2.1 less 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 | 40 | 24 | 3.2 | 6 | 3.8 |
| Feb | 46 | 28 | 2.9 | 6 | 3.2 |
| Mar | 56 | 36 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 68 | 46 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 76 | 56 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 64 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 68 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 65 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 57 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 46 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 55 | 36 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 44 | 28 | 3.2 | 6 | 3.6 |
| Year | 66 | 46 | 47.8 | 78 | 11.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Du Quoin 4 SE, IL (420 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 Pinckneyville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 120 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pinckneyville: 75 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 flash floods, 15 heavy rain events and 9 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $3.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on March 14, 2025. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 322 have had fewer than Pinckneyville.
June 8, 2009: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Pinckneyville — 2 injured, $1.3 million damage.
April 19, 2011: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Pinckneyville — 2 injured, $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Extensive damage occurred in the DuQuoin area. Two concentrated areas of damage were observed.”
July 11, 2008: thunderstorm wind in Pinckneyville — 1 injured, $75,000 damage.
NWS: “About a mile northwest of Pinckneyville, a very large tree fell on a mobile home and destroyed it. One person was 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
Perry County, which includes Pinckneyville, has been named in 7 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1982, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 2 tornadoes, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Perry County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $26.0 million a year, the 37th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.6 million (22%), 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 Pinckneyville
- Du Quoin, IL9 mi
- Coulterville, IL14 mi
- Steeleville, IL16 mi
- Sparta, IL18 mi
- Nashville, IL19 mi
- Sesser, IL19 mi
- Mulkeytown, IL19 mi
- Christopher, IL20 mi
- De Soto, IL20 mi
- Murphysboro, IL21 mi
- Woodlawn, IL26 mi
- Benton, IL26 mi
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