NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rantoul, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Rantoul, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 160 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 160
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Rantoul
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rantoul; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 35 miles away. The record near Rantoul begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Rantoul has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 160 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 20, 1976; its path came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 9, 1953, killed 3 people. Of the 160, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 80 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 49. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Rantoul has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 66% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 21 times since 1958, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 99% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Rantoul.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rantoul
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 41 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 Rantoul: 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 Rantoul
By decade
- 2020s26
- 2010s25(1 EF3+)
- 2000s29
- 1990s23(2 EF3+)
- 1980s16
- 1970s20(4 EF3+)
- 1960s12(1 EF3+)
- 1950s9(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 1976 | F4 | 17 mi | 63.7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | 9 mi | 156.7 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 16 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 13 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 19 mi | 5.9 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 4 mi | 29.83 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 16 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 19 mi | 14.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 25 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 21 mi | 31.8 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 6, 1956 | F3 | 24 mi | 9.4 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Sep 9, 2016 | EF2 | 23 mi | 6.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1987 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 160, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rantoul
The Storm Prediction Center has 21 hail reports within 10 miles of Rantoul since 1958, made on 18 separate days. Of these, 12 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on May 28, 2019. The most recent report is from March 31, 2023. May has the most reports, 5.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rantoul
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rantoul, IL, in Rantoul at 740 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 16°F. June is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 40.3 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 33 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 130 nights a year. That 40.3 inches is more than at 81 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (55%). Paxton, 10 miles north, has its own station (Paxton 2 WSW, IL): 37.9 inches a year, 2.4 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 16 | 2.5 | 5 |
| Feb | 40 | 20 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Mar | 51 | 29 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Apr | 64 | 40 | 4.0 | 7 |
| May | 75 | 51 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Jun | 85 | 62 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Jul | 88 | 64 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Aug | 86 | 62 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Sep | 81 | 54 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Oct | 67 | 42 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Nov | 52 | 31 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Dec | 40 | 22 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Year | 64 | 41 | 40.3 | 73 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rantoul, IL (740 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 Rantoul
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 66 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rantoul: 49 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $3.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on July 13, 2004. May has had the most flash floods, 6 of 15. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 245 have had fewer than Rantoul.
July 13, 2004: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Rantoul — $2.2 million damage.
February 21, 2018: flood 8 miles from the centre of Rantoul — $1.0 million damage.
July 21, 2020: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Rantoul — $175,000 damage.
NWS: “Multiple structures were damaged on the southeast side of Thomasboro.”
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
Champaign County, which includes Rantoul, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 tornadoes, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Champaign County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $93.3 million a year, the 11th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $43.2 million (46%), 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 Rantoul
- Paxton, IL10 mi
- Fisher, IL12 mi
- Urbana, IL13 mi
- Saint Joseph, IL14 mi
- Champaign, IL14 mi
- Mahomet, IL15 mi
- Gibson City, IL16 mi
- Savoy, IL18 mi
- Tolono, IL23 mi
- Oakwood, IL25 mi
- Farmer City, IL26 mi
- Hoopeston, IL28 mi
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