NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sullivan, 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 Sullivan, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 126 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 126
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Sullivan
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sullivan; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 14 miles away. The record near Sullivan begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Sullivan has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 126 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 20, 1976; its path came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on August 21, 1977, killed 6 people. Of the 126, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 64 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 33. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 54% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sullivan. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1992, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 89% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sullivan.
Compare Sullivan's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sullivan
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 5 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 Sullivan: 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 Sullivan
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s16(1 EF3+)
- 2000s33
- 1990s22
- 1980s6
- 1970s22(3 EF3+)
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 1976 | F4 | 18 mi | 63.7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Aug 21, 1977 | F3 | 11 mi | 26.9 mi | 6 / 56 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 23 mi | 18.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 10, 1974 | F3 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 23 mi | 38.6 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Jul 11, 1958 | F3 | 25 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Dec 28, 2025 | EF2 | 18 mi | 23.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 18 mi | 12.88 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 12 mi | 12.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF2 | 10 mi | 15.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 13, 2014 | EF2 | 19 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 20, 2014 | EF2 | 19 mi | 22.38 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 126, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sullivan
The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Sullivan since 1992, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 29 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 7, 1998. The most recent report is from November 18, 2025. May has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sullivan
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sullivan 3S, IL, 2 miles south of Sullivan at 640 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 19°F. May and June are the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 41.8 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 22 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 122 nights a year. Snowfall averages 12.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.8 inches is more than at 103 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (71%). Arthur, 11 miles northeast, has its own station (Tuscola, IL): 40.6 inches a year, 1.2 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 19 | 2.4 | 5 | 5.2 |
| Feb | 40 | 22 | 2.2 | 5 | 2.4 |
| Mar | 51 | 31 | 2.8 | 6 | 1.0 |
| Apr | 65 | 42 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.2 |
| May | 75 | 53 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 63 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 62 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 55 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 44 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 52 | 33 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 40 | 25 | 2.8 | 6 | 3.7 |
| Year | 63 | 43 | 41.8 | 72 | 12.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sullivan 3S, 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 Sullivan
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 120 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sullivan: 92 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods, 5 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $4.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on July 19, 2010. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 22. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 328 have had fewer than Sullivan.
April 3, 2018: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Sullivan — $2.0 million damage.
July 19, 2010: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Sullivan — $1.1 million damage.
NWS: “Downburst winds caused significant damage across parts of Moultrie County from near Kirksville eastward through Sullivan. Crops and numerous large trees were damaged along this path just southwest and south of Sullivan.”
May 15, 2018: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Sullivan — $350,000 damage.
NWS: “Roofs were ripped off several houses, trees were blown down, and a machine shed was knocked down on the southeast side of Sullivan.”
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
Moultrie County, which includes Sullivan, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1990, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 2 snowstorms, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on August 15, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Moultrie County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.4 million a year, the 76th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.7 million (45%), 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 Sullivan
- Arthur, IL11 mi
- Mattoon, IL14 mi
- Shelbyville, IL16 mi
- Arcola, IL17 mi
- Mt Zion, IL20 mi
- Neoga, IL20 mi
- Moweaqua, IL22 mi
- Tuscola, IL22 mi
- Charleston, IL24 mi
- Decatur, IL26 mi
- Toledo, IL28 mi
- Pana, IL29 mi
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