NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pittsfield, 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 Pittsfield, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1902. Since 1950, 76 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 76
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Pittsfield
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Pittsfield; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. Of the 548 Illinois cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Pittsfield. The highest rating among the 76 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 13, 2006, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on May 24, 2004, killed 1 person. Of the 76, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 45 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 97% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Pittsfield. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 45 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 85% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Pittsfield.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pittsfield
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 71 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 Pittsfield: 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 Pittsfield
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s13
- 2000s25(1 EF3+)
- 1990s16
- 1980s2
- 1970s4
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 2006 | F3 | 22 mi | 44.5 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 24, 1961 | F3 | 4 mi | 64.2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Feb 20, 2014 | EF2 | 3 mi | 12.09 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F2 | 18 mi | 67 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Apr 8, 1999 | F2 | 2 mi | 27.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 11, 1999 | F2 | 14 mi | 21.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 1975 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 26, 1959 | F2 | 22 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 1957 | F2 | 3 mi | 18.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 10, 1957 | F2 | in town | 42.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 1956 | F2 | in town | 14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 29, 1955 | F2 | 21 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 76, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pittsfield
The Storm Prediction Center has 45 hail reports within 10 miles of Pittsfield since 1955, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently April 14, 2002. The most recent report is from March 14, 2025. May has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pittsfield
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pittsfield #2, IL, 1 mile northwest of Pittsfield at 670 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 19°F. June is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 40.3 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 119 nights a year. Snowfall averages 15.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 40.3 inches is more than at 80 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (55%). Winchester, 17 miles east, has its own station (Winchester, IL): 40.5 inches a year, 0.2 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 19 | 2.0 | 4 | 4.0 |
| Feb | 42 | 22 | 2.1 | 4 | 5.1 |
| Mar | 53 | 32 | 3.0 | 6 | 1.7 |
| Apr | 66 | 42 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.3 |
| May | 75 | 54 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 63 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 66 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 64 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 55 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 44 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 54 | 33 | 2.9 | 6 | 1.1 |
| Dec | 42 | 24 | 2.3 | 4 | 3.4 |
| Year | 65 | 43 | 40.3 | 69 | 15.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pittsfield #2, IL (670 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 Pittsfield
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 52 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pittsfield: 48 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $5,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 72 mph, on July 21, 2020.
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Pittsfield's ZIP code 62363 have filed 37 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $345,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1979, with 12. 35% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 320 Illinois cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 130 have fewer than Pittsfield.
Pike County, which includes Pittsfield, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 floods, 6 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 3 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on August 15, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pike County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.6 million a year, the 79th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.8 million (40%), 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 Pittsfield
- Winchester, IL17 mi
- Louisiana, MO19 mi
- White Hall, IL24 mi
- Roodhouse, IL25 mi
- Liberty, IL25 mi
- Mt Sterling, IL26 mi
- Carrollton, IL29 mi
- Bowling Green, MO29 mi
- Jacksonville, IL31 mi
- Elsberry, MO31 mi
- New London, MO32 mi
- Camp Point, IL32 mi
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