NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Savanna, 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 Savanna, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 92 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 92
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Savanna
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Savanna; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 4 miles away. Of the 548 Illinois cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Savanna. The strongest of the 92 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 11, 1965; its path came within 18 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an F3 on June 20, 1974, killed 1 person. Of the 92, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 44 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on July 15, 2024. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 86% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Savanna. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 47 times since 1961, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 82% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Savanna.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Savanna
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Savanna: 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 Savanna
By decade
- 2020s17
- 2010s20
- 2000s7
- 1990s18(1 EF3+)
- 1980s8(1 EF3+)
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s11(2 EF3+)
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 18 mi | 91.5 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Jun 20, 1974 | F3 | 11 mi | 10.6 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F3 | 23 mi | 15.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 8, 1988 | F3 | 16 mi | 32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 24, 1967 | F3 | 6 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Jul 15, 2024 | EF2 | 22 mi | 15.41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 16 mi | 18.02 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 6, 2017 | EF2 | 14 mi | 34.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 2013 | EF2 | 3 mi | 6.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 1, 2007 | EF2 | 17 mi | 3.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 1995 | F2 | 22 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 1967 | F2 | 21 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 92, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Savanna
The Storm Prediction Center has 47 hail reports within 10 miles of Savanna since 1961, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on August 16, 1968. The most recent report is from July 10, 2025. April and June have the most reports, 11 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Savanna
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mt Carroll, IL, 7 miles east of Savanna at 640 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 11°F. June is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.7 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 19 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 155 nights a year. Snowfall averages 33.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 40.3 inches is more than at 81 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (55%). Thomson, 9 miles south, has its own station (Fulton L&D #13, IL): 34.3 inches a year, 6.0 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 11 | 1.7 | 5 | 10.2 |
| Feb | 35 | 14 | 1.8 | 5 | 7.9 |
| Mar | 48 | 26 | 2.5 | 5 | 3.6 |
| Apr | 61 | 36 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.8 |
| May | 72 | 47 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 57 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 60 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 58 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 50 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 38 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 49 | 27 | 2.6 | 5 | 1.7 |
| Dec | 36 | 17 | 2.2 | 5 | 8.8 |
| Year | 60 | 37 | 40.3 | 73 | 33.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mt Carroll, IL (640 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 Savanna
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 121 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Savanna: 90 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods, 7 floods and 4 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $76.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on July 21, 2003. July has had the most flash floods, 7 of 20. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 315 have had fewer than Savanna.
July 21, 2003: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Savanna — $75.0 million damage.
NWS: “Also reported by law enforcement, spotters, and emergency managers in the southern part of the county. Extensive damage in Woodhull, Alpha, Nekoma, and Galva.”
April 18, 2011: flood 6 miles from the centre of Savanna — $250,000 damage.
July 28, 2011: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Savanna — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “A large breach in the Portland Avenue Levee on the Plum River caused some flash flooding in parts of Savanna, IL during the evening of July 28 and early morning hours of July 29.”
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 Savanna's ZIP code 61074 have filed 45 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1983, and were paid $516,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2010, with 14. 4% 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, 149 have fewer than Savanna.
Carroll County, which includes Savanna, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Carroll County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.8 million a year, the 73rd highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.3 million (49%), 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 Savanna
- Mount Carroll, IL7 mi
- Thomson, IL9 mi
- Lanark, IL16 mi
- Fulton, IL16 mi
- Clinton, IA17 mi
- Stockton, IL18 mi
- Bellevue, IA20 mi
- Morrison, IL21 mi
- Camanche, IA24 mi
- Lena, IL25 mi
- Galena, IL25 mi
- Maquoketa, IA28 mi
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