NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Utica, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Utica, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 110 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 110
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Utica
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Utica; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. Of the 548 Illinois cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Utica. The highest rating among the 110 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 6 times; the most recent, on February 28, 2017, came within 5 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 20, 2004, killed 8 people. Of the 110, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 70 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 36. The most recent tornado was on July 14, 2024. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 69% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Utica. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 75 times since 1957, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 63% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Utica.
Compare Utica's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Utica
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Utica: 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 Utica
By decade
- 2020s20
- 2010s37(2 EF3+)
- 2000s13(1 EF3+)
- 1990s6
- 1980s7
- 1970s13(2 EF3+)
- 1960s9
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 20, 2004 | F3 | 3 mi | 15.8 mi | 8 / 12 |
| Feb 28, 2017 | EF3 | 5 mi | 11.5 mi | 2 / 14 |
| Dec 6, 1951 | F3 | 8 mi | 21.9 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF3 | 24 mi | 8.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1977 | F3 | 14 mi | 6.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 17, 1972 | F3 | 8 mi | 81.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 25 mi | 9.29 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2016 | EF2 | 16 mi | 8.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2015 | EF2 | 18 mi | 7.8 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 19 mi | 17.62 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 19 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 20, 2004 | F2 | 2 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 110, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Utica
The Storm Prediction Center has 75 hail reports within 10 miles of Utica since 1957, made on 55 separate days. Of these, 48 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently February 28, 2017. The most recent report is from April 4, 2023. April has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Utica
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Peru, IL, 5 miles west of Utica at 620 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 14°F. June is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 38.1 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 19 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 138 nights a year. Snowfall averages 28.5 inches a year, most of it in December. That 38.1 inches is more than at 37 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (25%). Ottawa, 9 miles east, has its own station (Ottawa 5SW, IL): 36.1 inches a year, 2.0 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 14 | 1.8 | 5 | 8.6 |
| Feb | 35 | 18 | 1.8 | 4 | 5.5 |
| Mar | 48 | 27 | 2.3 | 6 | 4.0 |
| Apr | 61 | 38 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.6 |
| May | 73 | 49 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 61 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 53 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 41 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 48 | 30 | 2.7 | 6 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 36 | 20 | 2.1 | 5 | 8.7 |
| Year | 60 | 39 | 38.1 | 72 | 28.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Peru, IL (620 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 Utica
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 188 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Utica: 155 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 10 floods, 7 lightning strikes and 6 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $1.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on October 3, 2000. August has had the most flash floods, 6 of 10. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 125 have had fewer than Utica.
August 10, 2020: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Utica — 3 injured.
August 23, 2011: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Utica — 1 injured.
August 10, 2020: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Utica — 1 injured.
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 Utica's ZIP code 61373 have filed 54 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1987, and were paid $1.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Mid-spring storms in 2013: 18 claims (33% of all) and $562,000. 52% 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, 171 have fewer than Utica.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-spring storms2013 | 18 | $562,000 |
LaSalle County, which includes Utica, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 snowstorms, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives LaSalle County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for hail and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $60.5 million a year, the 16th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $33.1 million (55%), 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.