NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rochester, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Rochester, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 187 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 187
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Rochester
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rochester; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. The record near Rochester begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Rochester has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 187 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 14, 1957; its path came within 7 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 187, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 105 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 40. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Rochester has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 88% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 111 times since 1956, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Rochester has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 548 Illinois cities.
Compare Rochester's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rochester
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 40 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 Rochester: 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 Rochester
By decade
- 2020s30
- 2010s28(2 EF3+)
- 2000s47(1 EF3+)
- 1990s22(3 EF3+)
- 1980s9
- 1970s35(4 EF3+)
- 1960s10(1 EF3+)
- 1950s6(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 1957 | F4 | 7 mi | 4.3 mi | 2 / 50 |
| Jun 1, 1999 | F3 | 20 mi | 10 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 20 mi | 20.9 mi | 1 / 26 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 9 mi | 42.9 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Dec 1, 2018 | EF3 | 15 mi | 12.49 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Apr 19, 2011 | EF3 | 22 mi | 4.32 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 19, 2009 | EF3 | 17 mi | 24.27 mi | 0 / 19 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 19 mi | 14.5 mi | 0 / 29 |
| May 9, 1995 | F3 | 16 mi | 50 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 26, 1978 | F3 | 14 mi | 8.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 6, 1977 | F3 | 9 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F3 | 17 mi | 8.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 187, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rochester
The Storm Prediction Center has 111 hail reports within 10 miles of Rochester since 1956, made on 75 separate days. Of these, 59 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 16 days, most recently May 16, 2025. The most recent report is from June 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 48.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rochester
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Springfield #2, IL, 10 miles northwest of Rochester at 599 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 19°F. May is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 40.5 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 23 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 114 nights a year. That 40.5 inches is more than at 85 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (58%). Riverton, 10 miles north, has its own station (Springfield Capital Airport, IL): 38.2 inches a year, 2.3 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 19 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Feb | 41 | 22 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Mar | 52 | 31 | 3.0 | 7 |
| Apr | 65 | 41 | 4.1 | 7 |
| May | 74 | 53 | 5.1 | 9 |
| Jun | 83 | 63 | 5.0 | 7 |
| Jul | 86 | 66 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Aug | 84 | 64 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Sep | 78 | 56 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Oct | 66 | 44 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Nov | 53 | 33 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Dec | 41 | 24 | 2.3 | 6 |
| Year | 63 | 43 | 40.5 | 75 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Springfield #2, IL (599 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 Rochester
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 202 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rochester: 173 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods, 9 lightning strikes and 6 floods. They killed 4 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $7.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 27, 2013. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 14. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 221 have had fewer than Rochester.
December 27, 2015: flood 6 miles from the centre of Rochester — 4 killed, $2.8 million damage.
May 24, 2004: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Rochester — 2 injured, $80,000 damage.
June 20, 2000: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Rochester — 1 injured, $11,000 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 Rochester, 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.