NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Thompsonville, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Thompsonville, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 77 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 77
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
31 deaths in all
What the records show for Thompsonville
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Thompsonville; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 51 mph winds when its centre passed 66 miles away. The record near Thompsonville begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 1 mile away. Of the 4 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Thompsonville has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The highest rating among the 77 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 5 times; the most recent, on May 16, 2025, came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on December 18, 1957, killed 11 people. Of the 77, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 50 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 21. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 95% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Thompsonville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 52 times since 1962, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 80% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Thompsonville.
Compare Thompsonville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Thompsonville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Thompsonville: 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 Thompsonville
By decade
- 2020s13(2 EF3+)
- 2010s25(2 EF3+)
- 2000s12
- 1990s7(2 EF3+)
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s5
- 1960s5
- 1950s4(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 18, 1957 | F4 | 15 mi | 28.3 mi | 11 / 200 |
| May 29, 1982 | F4 | 14 mi | 17 mi | 10 / 181 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF4 | 16 mi | 26.09 mi | 8 / 108 |
| Feb 28, 2017 | EF4 | 18 mi | 53.47 mi | 1 / 12 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF4 | 18 mi | 16.28 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 25 mi | 4.87 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 16 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 19, 1991 | F3 | 16 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Apr 5, 1958 | F3 | 21 mi | 20.6 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Dec 18, 1957 | F3 | 20 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 30, 1982 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.8 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 21 mi | 1.14 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 77, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Thompsonville
The Storm Prediction Center has 52 hail reports within 10 miles of Thompsonville since 1962, made on 42 separate days. Of these, 32 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on August 6, 2019. The most recent report is from July 1, 2023. April has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Thompsonville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mcleansboro, IL, 16 miles northeast of Thompsonville at 446 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 22°F. April is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 47.2 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 43 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 110 nights a year. Snowfall averages 13.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.2 inches is more than at 134 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (92%). Galatia, 9 miles southeast, has its own station (Harrisburg, IL): 47.7 inches a year, 0.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 22 | 3.6 | 6 | 3.7 |
| Feb | 46 | 24 | 2.9 | 6 | 3.3 |
| Mar | 56 | 34 | 4.5 | 7 | 2.1 |
| Apr | 68 | 44 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 55 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 63 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 66 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 63 | 2.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 55 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 43 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.6 |
| Nov | 56 | 33 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 45 | 26 | 3.5 | 7 | 3.4 |
| Year | 67 | 44 | 47.2 | 75 | 13.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mcleansboro, IL (446 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 Thompsonville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 75 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Thompsonville: 43 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 floods, 10 heavy rain events, 9 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $25.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on October 19, 2025. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 9. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 107 have had fewer than Thompsonville.
June 8, 2007: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Thompsonville — 1 injured, $125,000 damage.
NWS: “Extensive wind damage occurred in northwest and north central Saline County. A carport was blown on top of a mobile home.”
March 18, 2008: flood 9 miles from the centre of Thompsonville — $16.8 million damage.
May 8, 2009: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Thompsonville — $6.0 million damage.
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
Franklin County, which includes Thompsonville, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 flood, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Franklin County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $31.9 million a year, the 31st highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.0 million (25%), 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 Thompsonville
- Galatia, IL9 mi
- West Frankfort, IL10 mi
- Benton, IL11 mi
- Johnston City, IL12 mi
- Carrier Mills, IL16 mi
- Marion, IL16 mi
- Mc Leansboro, IL17 mi
- Herrin, IL17 mi
- Christopher, IL17 mi
- Harrisburg, IL17 mi
- Mulkeytown, IL18 mi
- Eldorado, IL18 mi
All Illinois cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Thompsonville with another place →