NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pontiac, 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 Pontiac, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1941. Since 1950, 112 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 112
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Pontiac
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Pontiac; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm with 43 mph winds when its centre passed 70 miles away. The record near Pontiac begins with an unnamed storm in 1932; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941. Pontiac has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 43% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 112 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on November 17, 2013; its path came within 14 miles, and it killed 3 people. Of the 112, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 58 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 39. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 67% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Pontiac. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 28 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 97% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Pontiac.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pontiac
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 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 Pontiac: 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 Pontiac
By decade
- 2020s16
- 2010s21(3 EF3+)
- 2000s21
- 1990s11
- 1980s14
- 1970s14(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6
- 1950s9(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF4 | 14 mi | 46.36 mi | 3 / 125 |
| Apr 7, 1954 | F3 | 11 mi | 42.6 mi | 1 / 13 |
| Feb 28, 2017 | EF3 | 22 mi | 17.77 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF3 | 15 mi | 8.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 23 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 15 mi | 5.96 mi | 1 / 13 |
| Feb 28, 2017 | EF2 | 17 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2016 | EF2 | 1 mi | 11.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 17 mi | 17.62 mi | 0 / 17 |
| May 23, 2004 | F2 | 7 mi | 13.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 29, 1986 | F2 | 9 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1985 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
The strongest 12 of 112, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pontiac
The Storm Prediction Center has 28 hail reports within 10 miles of Pontiac since 1962, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 9, 2003. The most recent report is from May 15, 2025. May has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pontiac
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pontiac, IL, in Pontiac at 650 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 17°F. May is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 36.9 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 122 nights a year. Snowfall averages 25.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 36.9 inches is more than at 15 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (10%). Chenoa, 11 miles south, has its own station (Chenoa, IL): 36.2 inches a year, 0.7 less than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 17 | 2.0 | 5 | 6.7 |
| Feb | 37 | 21 | 1.8 | 4 | 8.0 |
| Mar | 49 | 30 | 2.6 | 6 | 3.4 |
| Apr | 63 | 41 | 3.5 | 8 | 0.6 |
| May | 74 | 52 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 62 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 66 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 64 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 56 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 44 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 50 | 33 | 2.6 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 38 | 23 | 2.1 | 5 | 5.7 |
| Year | 61 | 42 | 36.9 | 72 | 25.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pontiac, IL (650 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 Pontiac
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 87 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pontiac: 66 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 floods, 6 heavy rain events, 5 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 23, 2010. July has had the most flash floods, 4 of 5. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 28 have had fewer than Pontiac.
January 8, 2008: flood 9 miles from the centre of Pontiac — 1 killed, $2.0 million damage.
May 24, 2006: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Pontiac — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
NWS: “A semi tractor trailer was blown over on Interstate 55 near Route 116. The driver needed to be cut out of the truck and was taken to the hospital.”
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 Pontiac's ZIP code 61764 have filed 246 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $1.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1982: 47 claims (19% of all) and $166,000. The year with the most claims was 2008, with 151. 20% 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, 276 have fewer than Pontiac.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1982 | 47 | $166,000 |
Livingston County, which includes Pontiac, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Livingston County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $32.8 million a year, the 29th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $22.4 million (68%), 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 Pontiac
- Chenoa, IL11 mi
- Fairbury, IL12 mi
- Dwight, IL18 mi
- Lexington, IL19 mi
- Streator, IL20 mi
- Minonk, IL21 mi
- El Paso, IL24 mi
- Hudson, IL25 mi
- Gardner, IL26 mi
- Roanoke, IL30 mi
- Seneca, IL30 mi
- Marseilles, IL31 mi
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