NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pleasant Plains, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Pleasant Plains, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 145 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 145
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Pleasant Plains
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Pleasant Plains; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 74 miles away. The record near Pleasant Plains begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Pleasant Plains has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 43% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 145 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 14, 1957; its path came within 12 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 145, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 76 have come since 2000. May and August have had the most tornadoes, 29 each. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Pleasant Plains has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 56% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 58 times since 1964, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 74% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Pleasant Plains.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pleasant Plains
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 58 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 Pleasant Plains: 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 Pleasant Plains
By decade
- 2020s31
- 2010s13(1 EF3+)
- 2000s32(1 EF3+)
- 1990s17(1 EF3+)
- 1980s9
- 1970s27(2 EF3+)
- 1960s10(2 EF3+)
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 1957 | F4 | 12 mi | 4.3 mi | 2 / 50 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 2 mi | 42.9 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Dec 31, 2010 | EF3 | 10 mi | 3.63 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 19, 2009 | EF3 | 19 mi | 24.27 mi | 0 / 19 |
| May 9, 1995 | F3 | 8 mi | 50 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 26, 1978 | F3 | 6 mi | 8.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 6, 1977 | F3 | 16 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 24, 1961 | F3 | 20 mi | 64.2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 18, 2025 | EF2 | 15 mi | 6.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 6, 2023 | EF2 | 22 mi | 25.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 2023 | EF2 | 11 mi | 9.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 19 mi | 21.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 145, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pleasant Plains
The Storm Prediction Center has 58 hail reports within 10 miles of Pleasant Plains since 1964, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 37 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 20, 2025, the most recent report. May has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pleasant Plains
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Athens 4SW, IL, 7 miles northeast of Pleasant Plains at 594 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 18°F. May is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 38.5 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 121 nights a year. That 38.5 inches is more than at 44 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (30%). New Berlin, 8 miles south, has its own station (Springfield #2, IL): 40.5 inches a year, 2.0 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 18 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Feb | 40 | 21 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Mar | 52 | 30 | 2.7 | 6 |
| Apr | 64 | 40 | 3.9 | 7 |
| May | 74 | 51 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 81 | 61 | 4.2 | 8 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Aug | 83 | 62 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Sep | 78 | 54 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Oct | 66 | 43 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Nov | 53 | 33 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Dec | 40 | 23 | 2.3 | 5 |
| Year | 62 | 42 | 38.5 | 71 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Athens 4SW, IL (594 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 Pleasant Plains
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 109 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pleasant Plains: 69 thunderstorm wind reports, 35 flash floods and 5 floods. They killed 2 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $25.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 74 mph, on April 19, 2002. August has had the most flash floods, 8 of 35. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 430 have had fewer than Pleasant Plains.
August 20, 2010: flood 10 miles from the centre of Pleasant Plains — 1 killed.
June 18, 2011: flood 7 miles from the centre of Pleasant Plains — 1 killed.
July 12, 2008: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Pleasant Plains — 2 injured, $40,000 damage.
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
Sangamon County, which includes Pleasant Plains, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on August 15, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Sangamon County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $114.8 million a year, the 10th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $46.7 million (41%), 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 Pleasant Plains
- New Berlin, IL8 mi
- Petersburg, IL11 mi
- Springfield, IL13 mi
- Athens, IL14 mi
- Chatham, IL15 mi
- Sherman, IL16 mi
- Waverly, IL18 mi
- Riverton, IL19 mi
- Virginia, IL19 mi
- Auburn, IL19 mi
- Jacksonville, IL20 mi
- Rochester, IL21 mi
All Illinois cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Pleasant Plains with another place →