NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Polo, 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 Polo, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 91 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 91
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Polo
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Polo; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 21 miles away. Of the 548 Illinois cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Polo. The highest rating among the 91 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 9, 2015, came within 18 miles. Of the 91, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on July 15, 2024. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 87% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Polo. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 57 times since 1970, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 76% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Polo.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Polo
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Polo: 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 Polo
By decade
- 2020s17
- 2010s18(1 EF3+)
- 2000s7
- 1990s17
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s9(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s9
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 2015 | EF4 | 18 mi | 30.14 mi | 2 / 11 |
| Mar 29, 1981 | F4 | 22 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 5, 1979 | F3 | 2 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 24, 1967 | F3 | 20 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 6, 1972 | F2 | 2 mi | 17.5 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Jul 8, 1993 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 17, 1979 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 21, 1966 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1962 | F2 | 13 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1962 | F2 | 13 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 26, 1959 | F2 | 23 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 15, 1958 | F2 | 16 mi | 74.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 91, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Polo
The Storm Prediction Center has 57 hail reports within 10 miles of Polo since 1970, made on 43 separate days. Of these, 36 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on July 13, 2004. The most recent report is from August 5, 2024. April has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Polo
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Polo 5NW, IL, 3 miles north of Polo at 856 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 13°F. June is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 40.1 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 16 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 138 nights a year. That 40.1 inches is more than at 79 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (54%). Dixon, 12 miles southeast, has its own station (Dixon 1W, IL): 40.6 inches a year, 0.5 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 13 | 1.9 | 5 |
| Feb | 35 | 17 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Mar | 48 | 28 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Apr | 61 | 38 | 3.9 | 8 |
| May | 73 | 49 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Jun | 82 | 59 | 5.1 | 8 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Aug | 83 | 59 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Sep | 77 | 51 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Oct | 64 | 40 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Nov | 48 | 29 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Dec | 35 | 19 | 2.1 | 6 |
| Year | 60 | 39 | 40.1 | 73 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Polo 5NW, IL (856 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 Polo
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 127 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Polo: 111 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 3 floods, 2 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $1.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on August 10, 2020. August has had the most flash floods, 4 of 10. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 125 have had fewer than Polo.
August 10, 2020: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Polo — 5 injured.
April 5, 2010: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Polo — $750,000 damage.
NWS: “Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph caused a west-facing wall of a church to collapse in Milledgeville, IL around 858 pm April 5. In addition, several 3 foot diameter trees were blown down.”
August 4, 2008: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Polo — $300,000 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
Ogle County, which includes Polo, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 snowstorms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ogle County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $36.1 million a year, the 25th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.1 million (58%), 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 Polo
- Mount Morris, IL9 mi
- Dixon, IL12 mi
- Oregon, IL13 mi
- Sterling, IL13 mi
- Lanark, IL15 mi
- Rock Falls, IL17 mi
- Byron, IL19 mi
- Mount Carroll, IL22 mi
- Freeport, IL22 mi
- Stillman Valley, IL22 mi
- Morrison, IL23 mi
- Amboy, IL23 mi
All Illinois cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Polo with another place →