NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Shelbyville, 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 Shelbyville, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 111 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 111
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Shelbyville
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Shelbyville; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 13 miles away. The record near Shelbyville begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Shelbyville has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 111 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on August 21, 1977; its path came within 8 miles, and it killed 6 people. Of the 111, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 60 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on April 30, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 68% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Shelbyville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 30 times since 1958, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 95% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Shelbyville.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Shelbyville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | overhead | 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 Shelbyville: 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 Shelbyville
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s19
- 2000s27
- 1990s21
- 1980s7
- 1970s13(1 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 21, 1977 | F3 | 8 mi | 26.9 mi | 6 / 56 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 21 mi | 12.88 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 6, 2023 | EF2 | 20 mi | 25.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF2 | 11 mi | 15.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF2 | 11 mi | 41.54 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 13, 2014 | EF2 | 17 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 20, 2014 | EF2 | 7 mi | 22.38 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF2 | 21 mi | 11.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F2 | 21 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F2 | 16 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 1999 | F2 | 5 mi | 15.5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 1, 1999 | F2 | 23 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 111, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Shelbyville
The Storm Prediction Center has 30 hail reports within 10 miles of Shelbyville since 1958, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 19 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently February 28, 2017. The most recent report is from March 19, 2025. May has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Shelbyville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Shelbyville Dam, IL, 2 miles east of Shelbyville at 650 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 19°F. May and June are the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.1 inches; the year adds up to 41.6 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 26 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 114 nights a year. That 41.6 inches is more than at 102 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (70%). Pana, 15 miles west, has its own station (Pana, IL): 42.5 inches a year, 0.9 more 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 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Feb | 41 | 23 | 2.1 | 5 |
| Mar | 52 | 32 | 2.7 | 6 |
| Apr | 64 | 43 | 4.3 | 8 |
| May | 74 | 54 | 4.7 | 9 |
| Jun | 83 | 63 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Jul | 86 | 67 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Aug | 85 | 65 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Sep | 80 | 57 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Oct | 67 | 45 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Nov | 52 | 34 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Dec | 41 | 25 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Year | 63 | 44 | 41.6 | 73 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Shelbyville Dam, IL (650 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 Shelbyville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 82 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Shelbyville: 63 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 4 floods and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $993,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 19, 2010. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 11. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 151 have had fewer than Shelbyville.
May 26, 2013: lightning strike 1 mile from the centre of Shelbyville — 1 killed.
NWS: “A 29 year-old fisherman was struck by lightning on the Kaskaskia River near the Lake Shelbyville Dam at around 3:50 PM CDT on Sunday, May 26th. The man later died at Shelby Memorial Hospital in Shelbyville.”
March 31, 2022: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Shelbyville — 1 killed.
NWS: “A man tried to drive across a flooded road near the intersection of 1600 East and County highway 26 southwest of Shelbyville on the morning of March 31st. His car was pushed off the road by the current, and he was swept away after exiting the vehicle.”
September 3, 2008: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Shelbyville — 1 injured.
NWS: “An adult male, age unknown, was struck by lightning while hunting at Hidden Springs State Forest. He was transported to a local hospital and treated for his injuries.”
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
Shelby County, which includes Shelbyville, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1990, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 2 tornadoes, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Shelby County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $19.8 million a year, the 52nd highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.3 million (37%), 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 Shelbyville
- Pana, IL15 mi
- Sullivan, IL16 mi
- Moweaqua, IL18 mi
- Neoga, IL20 mi
- Mattoon, IL23 mi
- Effingham, IL24 mi
- Altamont, IL24 mi
- Ramsey, IL25 mi
- Saint Elmo, IL26 mi
- Mt Zion, IL26 mi
- Teutopolis, IL27 mi
- Nokomis, IL27 mi
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