NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rockton, 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 Rockton, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 99 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 99
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
28 deaths in all
What the records show for Rockton
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rockton; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre crossed the city. Of the 548 Illinois cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Rockton. The highest rating among the 99 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 9, 2015, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 21, 1967, killed 24 people. Of the 99, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 62 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on June 3, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 79% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rockton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 80 times since 1962, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 60% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Rockton.
Compare Rockton's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rockton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | overhead | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Rockton: 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 Rockton
By decade
- 2020s34
- 2010s19(1 EF3+)
- 2000s9(1 EF3+)
- 1990s10
- 1980s6
- 1970s8
- 1960s9(2 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 1967 | F4 | 18 mi | 25.5 mi | 24 / 450 |
| Apr 9, 2015 | EF4 | 22 mi | 30.14 mi | 2 / 11 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF3 | 14 mi | 13.1 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jan 24, 1967 | F3 | 16 mi | 24.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 1958 | F2 | 3 mi | 81 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2024 | EF2 | 13 mi | 6.03 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 8, 2024 | EF2 | 23 mi | 25.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 22, 2010 | EF2 | 10 mi | 18.1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 25, 1998 | F2 | 21 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 17, 1979 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 1, 1971 | F2 | 5 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 9, 1970 | F2 | 19 mi | 14.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 99, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rockton
The Storm Prediction Center has 80 hail reports within 10 miles of Rockton since 1962, made on 56 separate days. Of these, 56 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 29, 2023. The most recent report is from July 10, 2025. May has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rockton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Beloit, WI, 5 miles northeast of Rockton at 788 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 25°F and 11°F. June is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 37.3 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 142 nights a year. Snowfall averages 35.6 inches a year, most of it in December. That 37.3 inches is more than at 20 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (14%). Loves Park, 9 miles south, has its own station (Rockford Gtr Rockford Airport, IL): 37.2 inches a year, 0.1 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 11 | 1.6 | 5 | 9.8 |
| Feb | 29 | 14 | 1.5 | 4 | 7.3 |
| Mar | 42 | 24 | 2.1 | 5 | 4.3 |
| Apr | 55 | 34 | 3.7 | 7 | 1.1 |
| May | 67 | 46 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 76 | 56 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 60 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 58 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 71 | 50 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 58 | 39 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 43 | 27 | 2.4 | 5 | 2.7 |
| Dec | 31 | 17 | 2.0 | 5 | 10.2 |
| Year | 55 | 36 | 37.3 | 68 | 35.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Beloit, WI (788 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 Rockton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 196 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rockton: 143 thunderstorm wind reports, 28 floods, 14 flash floods, 6 heavy rain events and 5 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $9.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on May 17, 2017. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 14. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 221 have had fewer than Rockton.
September 21, 2010: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Rockton — 1 injured.
June 10, 2008: flood 5 miles from the centre of Rockton — $6.0 million damage.
April 19, 1996: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Rockton — $800,000 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
Winnebago County, which includes Rockton, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 snowstorms, 5 floods, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Floodng, on September 20, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Winnebago County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $121.6 million a year, the 9th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $67.8 million (56%), 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.