NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit South Beloit, 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 South Beloit, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 104 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 104
- 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 South Beloit
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed South Beloit; 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 South Beloit. The highest rating among the 104 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 9, 2015, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 21, 1967, killed 24 people. Of the 104, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 62 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on June 3, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 74% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than South Beloit. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 70 times since 1962, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 65% have more hail reports within 10 miles than South Beloit.
Compare South Beloit's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near South Beloit
| 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 South Beloit: 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 South Beloit
By decade
- 2020s31
- 2010s20(1 EF3+)
- 2000s11(1 EF3+)
- 1990s12
- 1980s6
- 1970s9
- 1960s11(2 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 1967 | F4 | 19 mi | 25.5 mi | 24 / 450 |
| Apr 9, 2015 | EF4 | 24 mi | 30.14 mi | 2 / 11 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF3 | 13 mi | 13.1 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jan 24, 1967 | F3 | 14 mi | 24.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 1958 | F2 | 5 mi | 81 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2024 | EF2 | 11 mi | 6.03 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 8, 2024 | EF2 | 22 mi | 25.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 22, 2010 | EF2 | 11 mi | 18.1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 25, 1998 | F2 | 19 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 17, 1979 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 1, 1971 | F2 | 3 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 9, 1970 | F2 | 16 mi | 14.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 104, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in South Beloit
The Storm Prediction Center has 70 hail reports within 10 miles of South Beloit since 1962, made on 53 separate days. Of these, 48 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 12, 2014. The most recent report is from August 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in South Beloit
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Beloit, WI, 1 mile north of South Beloit 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%). Clinton, WI, 10 miles northeast, has its own station (Clinton Wwtp, WI): 37.8 inches a year, 0.5 more than here, and a July average high of 82°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 South Beloit
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 182 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of South Beloit: 132 thunderstorm wind reports, 29 floods, 12 flash floods, 5 heavy rain events and 4 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $8.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on May 17, 2017. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 179 have had fewer than South Beloit.
June 10, 2008: flood 6 miles from the centre of South Beloit — $6.0 million damage.
April 19, 1996: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of South Beloit — $800,000 damage.
July 24, 2010: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of South Beloit — $632,000 damage.
NWS: “Very heavy rain fell across Winnebago County producing widespread flooding and flash flooding, including creek and river flooding. Significant flooding was reported near Keith Creek in the Churchill Park area on the east side of Rockford.”
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 South Beloit's ZIP code 61080 have filed 43 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1993, and were paid $144,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2013, with 13. 16% 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, 144 have fewer than South Beloit.
Winnebago County, which includes South Beloit, 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.