NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Villa Grove, 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 Villa Grove, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 147 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 147
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Villa Grove
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Villa Grove; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 12 miles away. The record near Villa Grove begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Villa Grove has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 147 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 20, 1976; its path came within 11 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 9, 1953, killed 3 people. Of the 147, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 72 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 39. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Villa Grove has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 58% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 67 times since 1964, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 69% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Villa Grove.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Villa Grove
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 13 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 Villa Grove: 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 Villa Grove
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s22(1 EF3+)
- 2000s36
- 1990s30(2 EF3+)
- 1980s11
- 1970s15(4 EF3+)
- 1960s11(2 EF3+)
- 1950s8(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 1976 | F4 | 11 mi | 63.7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | 22 mi | 156.7 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 13 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 9 mi | 5.9 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 3 mi | 18.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 15 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Aug 10, 1974 | F3 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 8 mi | 14.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 4 mi | 38.6 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 10 mi | 31.8 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 18 mi | 12.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF2 | 24 mi | 15.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 147, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Villa Grove
The Storm Prediction Center has 67 hail reports within 10 miles of Villa Grove since 1964, made on 45 separate days. Of these, 43 were 1 inch across or larger, and 11 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on May 30, 2008. The most recent report is from March 19, 2025. May has the most reports, 29.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Villa Grove
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tuscola, IL, 9 miles southwest of Villa Grove 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, 10 miles northwest, 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 Villa Grove
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 130 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Villa Grove: 123 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $2.5 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, 3 of 5. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 28 have had fewer than Villa Grove.
May 25, 2011: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Villa Grove — 1 injured, $15,000 damage.
June 29, 1998: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Villa Grove — 1 injured.
August 9, 2012: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Villa Grove — $350,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees and tree branches were blown down. Roof damage was reported to 29 structures.”
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 Villa Grove's ZIP code 61956 have filed 139 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $740,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Mid-spring storms in 2013: 25 claims (18% of all) and $192,000, then Early winter storms in 2015 with 24 and Flooding in 1994 with 16. The year with the most claims was 2015, with 24. 47% 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, 234 have fewer than Villa Grove.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-spring storms2013 | 25 | $192,000 |
| Early winter storms2015 | 24 | $155,000 |
| Flooding1994 | 16 | $74,000 |
Douglas County, which includes Villa Grove, 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 Villa Grove
- Tuscola, IL9 mi
- Tolono, IL10 mi
- Arcola, IL15 mi
- Savoy, IL15 mi
- Urbana, IL18 mi
- Champaign, IL19 mi
- Saint Joseph, IL19 mi
- Arthur, IL20 mi
- Charleston, IL25 mi
- Monticello, IL25 mi
- Chrisman, IL26 mi
- Catlin, IL27 mi
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