NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Vandalia, 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 Vandalia, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 95 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 95
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Vandalia
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Vandalia; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 1 mile away. The record near Vandalia begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Vandalia has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The highest rating among the 95 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 5, 1958, came within 1 mile. The deadliest, an F0 on May 1, 1983, killed 2 people. Of the 95, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 57 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 35. The most recent tornado was on July 6, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 83% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Vandalia. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 34 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 93% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Vandalia.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Vandalia
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 16 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 Vandalia: 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 Vandalia
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s14
- 2000s28
- 1990s15
- 1980s6
- 1970s3
- 1960s5
- 1950s9(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2, 1950 | F3 | 15 mi | 18 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Apr 5, 1958 | F3 | 1 mi | 60.5 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Jan 3, 1950 | F3 | 13 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 30, 2025 | EF2 | 7 mi | 4.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 7 mi | 22.83 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF2 | 25 mi | 8.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF2 | 13 mi | 41.54 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 3, 2018 | EF2 | 8 mi | 18.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 20, 2014 | EF2 | 22 mi | 22.38 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF2 | 10 mi | 11.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 2011 | EF2 | 19 mi | 18.19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF2 | 16 mi | 0.08 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 95, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Vandalia
The Storm Prediction Center has 34 hail reports within 10 miles of Vandalia since 1955, made on 30 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 25, 1989. The most recent report is from March 14, 2025. April has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Vandalia
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Vandalia, IL, in Vandalia at 490 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 21°F. May is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 43.9 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 31 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 109 nights a year. That 43.9 inches is more than at 120 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (82%). Ramsey, 12 miles north, has its own station (Ramsey, IL): 42.7 inches a year, 1.2 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 21 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Feb | 42 | 24 | 2.5 | 5 |
| Mar | 53 | 33 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Apr | 65 | 43 | 4.9 | 8 |
| May | 75 | 54 | 5.3 | 9 |
| Jun | 84 | 63 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Jul | 87 | 67 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Aug | 86 | 64 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Sep | 80 | 56 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Oct | 68 | 44 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Nov | 54 | 34 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Dec | 42 | 26 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Year | 64 | 44 | 43.9 | 75 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Vandalia, IL (490 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 Vandalia
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 82 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Vandalia: 70 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods and 2 floods. They killed 5 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $727,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 29, 2019. June has had the most flash floods, 5 of 10. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 125 have had fewer than Vandalia.
December 26, 2015: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Vandalia — 5 killed.
NWS: “Automated gauges in the area only measured about an inch of rain between 3 pm and 8 pm. However, this was enough for Louse Creek to rise, covering Farthing Road at a low water crossing, about half a mile north of intersection with Britt Road.”
July 20, 2025: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Vandalia — $600,000 damage.
NWS: “Multiple towns and municipalities in northern Fayette County were affected by flash flooding according to emergency management, broadcast media, law enforcement/fire, and members of the public.”
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
Fayette County, which includes Vandalia, has been named in 8 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 2002, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane, 1 ice storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Fayette 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 $15.1 million a year, the 58th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.4 million (42%), 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 Vandalia
- Ramsey, IL12 mi
- Saint Elmo, IL14 mi
- Greenville, IL17 mi
- Altamont, IL21 mi
- Hillsboro, IL24 mi
- Odin, IL24 mi
- Sandoval, IL24 mi
- Salem, IL25 mi
- Nokomis, IL25 mi
- Pocahontas, IL26 mi
- Carlyle, IL27 mi
- Pana, IL30 mi
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