NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Staunton, 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 Staunton, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 135 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 135
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
19 deaths in all
What the records show for Staunton
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Staunton; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 51 mph winds when its centre passed 28 miles away. The record near Staunton begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Staunton has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The highest rating among the 135 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1981, came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on December 10, 2021, killed 6 people. Of the 135, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 84 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 33. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Staunton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 50% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 90 times since 1968, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 53% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Staunton.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Staunton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 7 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 Staunton: 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 Staunton
By decade
- 2020s19(1 EF3+)
- 2010s25(1 EF3+)
- 2000s40
- 1990s17(1 EF3+)
- 1980s7(3 EF3+)
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s10(2 EF3+)
- 1950s11(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 1967 | F4 | 22 mi | 25 mi | 3 / 216 |
| Apr 3, 1981 | F4 | 16 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 32 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF3 | 19 mi | 4.22 mi | 6 / 1 |
| Dec 2, 1950 | F3 | 19 mi | 18 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Jun 1, 1999 | F3 | 22 mi | 10 mi | 1 / 4 |
| May 31, 2013 | EF3 | 15 mi | 10.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 15, 1988 | F3 | 22 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 1983 | F3 | 15 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jul 28, 1976 | F3 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F3 | 21 mi | 21.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jan 3, 1950 | F3 | 18 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF2 | 18 mi | 23.22 mi | 4 / 38 |
The strongest 12 of 135, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Staunton
The Storm Prediction Center has 90 hail reports within 10 miles of Staunton since 1968, made on 65 separate days. Of these, 54 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 5 days, most recently September 4, 2017. The most recent report is from May 24, 2024. May has the most reports, 28.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Staunton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hillsboro, IL, 19 miles northeast of Staunton at 630 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 21°F. May is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 42.0 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 42 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 100 nights a year. That 42.0 inches is more than at 106 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (73%). Worden, 6 miles southwest, has its own station (Alton - Melvin Price L&D, IL): 41.9 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 87°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 21 | 2.5 | 4 |
| Feb | 45 | 25 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Mar | 55 | 34 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Apr | 68 | 44 | 5.0 | 8 |
| May | 78 | 54 | 5.1 | 8 |
| Jun | 86 | 63 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Jul | 89 | 67 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Sep | 82 | 57 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Oct | 70 | 46 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Nov | 55 | 35 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Dec | 43 | 26 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Year | 66 | 45 | 42.0 | 71 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hillsboro, IL (630 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 Staunton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 104 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Staunton: 96 thunderstorm wind reports and 8 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $94,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on May 20, 2013. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 8. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 90 have had fewer than Staunton.
May 23, 2011: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Staunton — 1 injured.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds blew over a semi on the north bound lanes of I-55 just south of the Staunton exit. The driver lost control when the truck was hit by the winds and ended up in a ditch about 50 feet from the road.”
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 Staunton's ZIP code 62088 have filed 25 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $169,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1979, with 10. 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, 93 have fewer than Staunton.
Macoupin County, which includes Staunton, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1982, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Macoupin County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $38.7 million a year, the 24th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.4 million (30%), 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 Staunton
- Mount Olive, IL5 mi
- Worden, IL6 mi
- Gillespie, IL8 mi
- Bunker Hill, IL9 mi
- Litchfield, IL14 mi
- Bethalto, IL15 mi
- Edwardsville, IL16 mi
- Cottage Hills, IL17 mi
- East Alton, IL19 mi
- Hillsboro, IL19 mi
- Pocahontas, IL19 mi
- Brighton, IL19 mi
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