NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Waterloo, 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 Waterloo, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 148 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 148
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
39 deaths in all
What the records show for Waterloo
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Waterloo; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 6 miles away. The record near Waterloo begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Waterloo has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The highest rating among the 148 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on February 10, 1959, came within 22 miles. Of the 148, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 71 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 47. The most recent tornado was on May 19, 2025. Waterloo has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 58% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 107 times since 1971, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Waterloo has more hail reports within 10 miles than 52% of the 548 Illinois cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Waterloo
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 22 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 Waterloo: 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 Waterloo
By decade
- 2020s30
- 2010s20(1 EF3+)
- 2000s21(1 EF3+)
- 1990s25
- 1980s11(3 EF3+)
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s15(1 EF3+)
- 1950s18(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 10, 1959 | F4 | 22 mi | 23.9 mi | 21 / 345 |
| Feb 24, 1956 | F4 | 15 mi | 77.6 mi | 6 / 36 |
| May 15, 1968 | F3 | 14 mi | 2 mi | 4 / 60 |
| Dec 31, 2010 | EF3 | 21 mi | 6.65 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Apr 22, 1981 | F3 | 14 mi | 7.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1958 | F3 | 15 mi | 60.5 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Mar 11, 2006 | F3 | 12 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 15, 1988 | F3 | 22 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 1983 | F3 | 21 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 18, 1975 | F3 | 10 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF2 | 25 mi | 23.22 mi | 4 / 38 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F2 | 19 mi | 7 mi | 1 / 11 |
The strongest 12 of 148, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Waterloo
The Storm Prediction Center has 107 hail reports within 10 miles of Waterloo since 1971, made on 70 separate days. Of these, 63 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 14, 2024. The most recent report is from March 30, 2025. April has the most reports, 36.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Waterloo
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Festus, MO, 15 miles southwest of Waterloo at 600 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 22°F. April is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 43.5 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 38 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 105 nights a year. Snowfall averages 9.2 inches a year, most of it in February. That 43.5 inches is more than at 118 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (81%). Columbia, 9 miles north, has its own station (Cahokia, IL): 42.9 inches a year, 0.6 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 22 | 2.7 | 5 | 2.1 |
| Feb | 46 | 25 | 2.5 | 5 | 2.7 |
| Mar | 56 | 34 | 4.0 | 8 | 1.1 |
| Apr | 68 | 44 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.2 |
| May | 76 | 54 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 63 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 67 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 57 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 46 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 56 | 35 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.6 |
| Dec | 45 | 27 | 2.8 | 5 | 2.5 |
| Year | 67 | 45 | 43.5 | 74 | 9.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Festus, MO (600 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 Waterloo
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 109 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Waterloo: 95 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $29,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on April 15, 2023. April has had the most flash floods, 4 of 13. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 195 have had fewer than Waterloo.
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 Waterloo's ZIP code 62298 have filed 29 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1993, and were paid $1.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Midwest Flooding in 1993: 27 claims (93% of all) and $1.3 million. 97% 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, 107 have fewer than Waterloo.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Midwest Flooding1993 | 27 | $1.3 million |
Monroe County, which includes Waterloo, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 floods, 7 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on August 15, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Monroe County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.6 million a year, the 41st highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.4 million (28%), 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 Waterloo
- Columbia, IL9 mi
- Smithton, IL10 mi
- Millstadt, IL10 mi
- Red Bud, IL12 mi
- Herculaneum, MO14 mi
- New Athens, IL14 mi
- Dupo, IL14 mi
- Crystal City, MO15 mi
- Imperial, MO15 mi
- Pevely, MO15 mi
- Arnold, MO15 mi
- Freeburg, IL15 mi
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