NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Tuscola, 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 Tuscola, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 138 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 138
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Tuscola
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Tuscola; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 14 miles away. The record near Tuscola begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Tuscola has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 138 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 20, 1976; its path came within 12 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 3, 1974, killed 1 person. Of the 138, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 67 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 34. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Tuscola has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 52% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 56 times since 1974, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 76% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Tuscola.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Tuscola
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 12 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 Tuscola: 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 Tuscola
By decade
- 2020s16
- 2010s18(1 EF3+)
- 2000s33
- 1990s29(1 EF3+)
- 1980s8
- 1970s18(4 EF3+)
- 1960s10(2 EF3+)
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 1976 | F4 | 12 mi | 63.7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 13 mi | 5.9 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 4 mi | 18.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 19 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Aug 10, 1974 | F3 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 16 mi | 14.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 1 mi | 38.6 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 13 mi | 31.8 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jul 11, 1958 | F3 | 24 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Dec 28, 2025 | EF2 | 23 mi | 23.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 24 mi | 12.88 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 12 mi | 12.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 138, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Tuscola
The Storm Prediction Center has 56 hail reports within 10 miles of Tuscola since 1974, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 32 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on May 21, 2014. The most recent report is from July 25, 2023. May has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Tuscola
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tuscola, IL, in Tuscola at 651 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 18°F. June is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.1 inches; the year adds up to 40.6 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 27 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 117 nights a year. Snowfall averages 16.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 40.6 inches is more than at 88 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (60%). Tolono, 13 miles north, has its own station (Champaign Willard Airport, IL): 37.1 inches a year, 3.5 less than here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 18 | 2.4 | 5 | 5.0 |
| Feb | 39 | 21 | 2.1 | 5 | 4.9 |
| Mar | 50 | 31 | 2.9 | 6 | 2.2 |
| Apr | 64 | 42 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.2 |
| May | 74 | 53 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 63 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 65 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 63 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 55 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 43 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 51 | 32 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 39 | 24 | 2.5 | 5 | 3.7 |
| Year | 62 | 43 | 40.6 | 73 | 16.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Tuscola, IL (651 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 Tuscola
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 123 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Tuscola: 106 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 4 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $1.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 29, 2023. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 11. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 151 have had fewer than Tuscola.
August 18, 2001: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Tuscola — 6 injured.
April 8, 1999: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Tuscola — 3 injured.
May 25, 2011: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Tuscola — 1 injured, $15,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Tuscola's ZIP code 61953 have filed 60 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $383,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 20% 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, 179 have fewer than Tuscola.
Douglas County, which includes Tuscola, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1990, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on August 15, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Douglas County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail; Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $19.7 million a year, the 53rd highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.9 million (40%), 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 Tuscola
- Arcola, IL8 mi
- Villa Grove, IL9 mi
- Arthur, IL11 mi
- Tolono, IL13 mi
- Savoy, IL19 mi
- Charleston, IL21 mi
- Sullivan, IL22 mi
- Monticello, IL22 mi
- Champaign, IL22 mi
- Mattoon, IL22 mi
- Urbana, IL23 mi
- Saint Joseph, IL27 mi
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