NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Tolono, 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 Tolono, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 158 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 158
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Tolono
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Tolono; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 22 miles away. The record near Tolono begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Tolono has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 158 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 20, 1976; its path passed within a mile of the city centre. The deadliest, an F3 on April 9, 1953, killed 3 people. Of the 158, 14 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 76 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 40. The most recent tornado was on October 3, 2025. Tolono has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 65% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 92 times since 1958, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 52% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Tolono.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Tolono
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 23 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 Tolono: 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 Tolono
By decade
- 2020s17
- 2010s22(2 EF3+)
- 2000s37
- 1990s32(2 EF3+)
- 1980s13
- 1970s13(3 EF3+)
- 1960s12(2 EF3+)
- 1950s12(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 1976 | F4 | in town | 63.7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | 14 mi | 156.7 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 13 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 1 mi | 5.9 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 18 mi | 29.83 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 7 mi | 18.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 6 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 10 mi | 14.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 13 mi | 38.6 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | in town | 31.8 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 13 mi | 12.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 9, 2016 | EF2 | 10 mi | 6.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 158, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Tolono
The Storm Prediction Center has 92 hail reports within 10 miles of Tolono since 1958, made on 65 separate days. Of these, 51 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on May 30, 2008. The most recent report is from October 25, 2024. May has the most reports, 33.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Tolono
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Champaign Willard Airport, IL, 4 miles north of Tolono at 754 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 18°F. May and June are the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 37.1 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 22 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 122 nights a year. That 37.1 inches is more than at 17 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (12%). Savoy, 6 miles north, has its own station (Champaign 3S, IL): 41.0 inches a year, 3.9 more than here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 18 | 2.1 | 4 |
| Feb | 39 | 22 | 1.8 | 4 |
| Mar | 52 | 31 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Apr | 65 | 41 | 3.7 | 7 |
| May | 76 | 52 | 4.4 | 9 |
| Jun | 84 | 62 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Aug | 84 | 62 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Sep | 79 | 55 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Oct | 67 | 43 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Nov | 52 | 32 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Dec | 39 | 24 | 2.1 | 5 |
| Year | 63 | 42 | 37.1 | 68 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Champaign Willard Airport, IL (754 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 Tolono
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 226 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Tolono: 200 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods, 7 lightning strikes and 5 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on August 13, 2011. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 14. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 221 have had fewer than Tolono.
May 25, 2011: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Tolono — 1 injured, $15,000 damage.
NWS: “A semi truck was blown over on I-57 near mile marker 220. One person was injured.”
April 19, 2011: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Tolono — $300,000 damage.
July 11, 2017: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Tolono — $175,000 damage.
NWS: “Twenty five power poles were blown down near county roads 1200E and 900N about 4 miles west of Philo.”
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
Champaign County, which includes Tolono, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 tornadoes, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Champaign County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for 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 $93.3 million a year, the 11th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $43.2 million (46%), 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 Tolono
- Savoy, IL6 mi
- Champaign, IL9 mi
- Urbana, IL10 mi
- Villa Grove, IL10 mi
- Tuscola, IL13 mi
- Saint Joseph, IL15 mi
- Monticello, IL17 mi
- Mahomet, IL17 mi
- Arcola, IL21 mi
- Arthur, IL22 mi
- Rantoul, IL23 mi
- Fisher, IL24 mi
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