NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Salem, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Salem, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 90 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 90
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Salem
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Salem; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 22 miles away. The record near Salem begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 24 miles away. Of the 5 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Salem is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The highest rating among the 90 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on November 17, 2013, came within 20 miles. Of the 90, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 52 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on April 30, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 88% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Salem. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 55 times since 1974, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 78% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Salem.
Compare Salem's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Salem
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 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 Salem: 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 Salem
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s16(1 EF3+)
- 2000s24(1 EF3+)
- 1990s16
- 1980s2
- 1970s6
- 1960s2
- 1950s12(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF4 | 20 mi | 10.59 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Dec 18, 1957 | F4 | 21 mi | 16.8 mi | 1 / 45 |
| Apr 21, 2002 | F3 | 22 mi | 31.5 mi | 1 / 42 |
| Apr 5, 1958 | F3 | 23 mi | 60.5 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Dec 18, 1957 | F3 | 19 mi | 19.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 23, 2012 | EF2 | 24 mi | 2.58 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Apr 30, 2025 | EF2 | 16 mi | 4.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF2 | 11 mi | 8.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 2018 | EF2 | 18 mi | 18.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 2011 | EF2 | 11 mi | 13.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF2 | 21 mi | 1.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 1999 | F2 | 25 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 90, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Salem
The Storm Prediction Center has 55 hail reports within 10 miles of Salem since 1974, made on 43 separate days. Of these, 36 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 3, 1996. The most recent report is from March 30, 2025. May has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Salem
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Salem, IL, 1 mile north of Salem at 550 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 21°F. June is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 45.9 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 32 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 102 nights a year. Snowfall averages 10.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 45.9 inches is more than at 128 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (88%). Centralia, 12 miles southwest, has its own station (Iuka 12 SW, IL): 44.8 inches a year, 1.1 less than here, and the same July average high, 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 21 | 3.1 | 5 | 3.9 |
| Feb | 43 | 24 | 2.6 | 5 | 2.5 |
| Mar | 54 | 33 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 66 | 44 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 55 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 64 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 67 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 57 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 45 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 54 | 34 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Dec | 43 | 26 | 2.9 | 6 | 2.9 |
| Year | 65 | 44 | 45.9 | 76 | 10.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Salem, IL (550 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 Salem
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 110 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Salem: 96 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $833,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 16, 2009. June has had the most flash floods, 5 of 11. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 151 have had fewer than Salem.
July 29, 2023: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Salem — 3 injured.
March 14, 2025: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Salem — 2 injured, $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds knocked a tree on a home, trapping two residents in the house.”
May 25, 1996: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Salem — 1 injured, $25,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Salem's ZIP code 62881 have filed 11 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $136,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 27% 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, 6 have fewer than Salem.
Marion County, which includes Salem, has been named in 8 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1990, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane, 1 snowstorm). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Marion County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $30.9 million a year, the 32nd highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.1 million (33%), 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 Salem
- Odin, IL5 mi
- Sandoval, IL9 mi
- Centralia, IL12 mi
- Woodlawn, IL21 mi
- Mount Vernon, IL21 mi
- Carlyle, IL22 mi
- Vandalia, IL25 mi
- Flora, IL25 mi
- Wayne City, IL28 mi
- Louisville, IL28 mi
- Saint Elmo, IL29 mi
- Nashville, IL30 mi
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