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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Waverly, 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

2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Waverly, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 151 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
2

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
151

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
10

5 deaths in all

What the records show for Waverly

None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Waverly; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. The record near Waverly begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Waverly has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 43% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 151 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 14, 1957; its path came within 17 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 151, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 72 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 32. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Waverly has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 61% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 51 times since 1955, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 80% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Waverly.

Compare Waverly's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Waverly

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Waverly, Illinois, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2008IkeSep 1462 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 4
1902Unnamed 1902 stormJun 2844 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Waverly: 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 Waverly

By decade

  • 2020s28
  • 2010s9(1 EF3+)
  • 2000s35
  • 1990s24(2 EF3+)
  • 1980s10(1 EF3+)
  • 1970s25(3 EF3+)
  • 1960s12(2 EF3+)
  • 1950s8(1 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near Waverly, Illinois
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Jun 14, 1957F417 mi4.3 mi2 / 50
Jun 1, 1999F323 mi10 mi1 / 4
Apr 22, 1963F319 mi42.9 mi1 / 5
Apr 19, 2011EF312 mi4.32 mi0 / 2
May 9, 1995F323 mi50 mi0 / 6
May 1, 1983F319 mi4 mi0 / 15
Jul 26, 1978F317 mi8.9 mi0 / 0
Aug 6, 1977F312 mi4.1 mi0 / 0
Mar 20, 1976F318 mi8.8 mi0 / 4
Apr 24, 1961F31 mi64.2 mi0 / 3
Jun 18, 2025EF220 mi6.87 mi0 / 0
Aug 6, 2023EF220 mi25.31 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 151, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Waverly

The Storm Prediction Center has 51 hail reports within 10 miles of Waverly since 1955, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 30, 2008. The most recent report is from March 14, 2024. May has the most reports, 15.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Waverly

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Virden, IL, 11 miles southeast of Waverly at 675 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 21°F. June is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 38.4 inches over 63 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 25 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 101 nights a year. Snowfall averages 16.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.4 inches is more than at 42 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (29%). New Berlin, 11 miles north, has its own station (Springfield #2, IL): 40.5 inches a year, 2.1 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 87°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Virden, IL
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan36212.046.7
Feb42252.343.1
Mar54342.562.3
Apr67454.260.0
May76554.270.0
Jun83654.360.0
Jul87683.550.0
Aug85663.150.0
Sep80583.450.0
Oct67473.450.0
Nov52353.150.7
Dec41262.443.3
Year644538.46316.1

Averages for 1991–2020 at Virden, IL (675 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.

Illinois weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Waverly

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 56 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Waverly: 45 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 flash floods and 2 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $621,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 31, 2013. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 9. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 107 have had fewer than Waverly.

  • April 19, 2011: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Waverly — $250,000 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

Morgan County, which includes Waverly, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on August 15, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Morgan County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $28.5 million a year, the 35th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.0 million (32%), 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 Waverly