NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Wilmette, 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 Wilmette, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1941. Since 1950, 95 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 95
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Wilmette
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Wilmette; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 46 miles away. The record near Wilmette begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm 70 miles away. Wilmette has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 43% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The highest rating among the 95 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on September 28, 1972, came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on March 12, 1976, killed 2 people. Of the 95, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 49 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on March 14, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 83% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Wilmette. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 173 times since 1963, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Wilmette has more hail reports within 10 miles than 74% of the 548 Illinois cities.
Compare Wilmette's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Wilmette
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Wilmette: 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 Wilmette
By decade
- 2020s37(1 EF3+)
- 2010s8
- 2000s4
- 1990s3
- 1980s4
- 1970s17(2 EF3+)
- 1960s12(1 EF3+)
- 1950s10
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 1967 | F4 | 22 mi | 8.8 mi | 1 / 100 |
| Sep 28, 1972 | F4 | 16 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Jun 20, 2021 | EF3 | 25 mi | 17.6 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 21 mi | 22.6 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F2 | in town | 15.1 mi | 2 / 66 |
| Jun 9, 1966 | F2 | 11 mi | 2.5 mi | 1 / 30 |
| Mar 4, 1961 | F2 | 10 mi | 7.9 mi | 1 / 115 |
| Oct 8, 1958 | F2 | 22 mi | 81 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 18, 1997 | F2 | 22 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 1975 | F2 | 14 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 21, 1973 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 25, 1972 | F2 | 7 mi | 1.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 95, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Wilmette
The Storm Prediction Center has 173 hail reports within 10 miles of Wilmette since 1963, made on 77 separate days. Of these, 124 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently April 7, 2020. The most recent report is from August 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 60.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Wilmette
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Chicago Botanic Garden, IL, 5 miles northwest of Wilmette at 630 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 16°F. May is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 39.5 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 128 nights a year. Snowfall averages 33.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 39.5 inches is more than at 66 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (45%). Niles, 6 miles southwest, has its own station (Chicago Ohare International Airport, IL): 38.0 inches a year, 1.5 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 16 | 2.1 | 6 | 11.3 |
| Feb | 36 | 19 | 2.0 | 5 | 7.7 |
| Mar | 46 | 28 | 2.3 | 6 | 5.6 |
| Apr | 57 | 38 | 4.0 | 8 | 1.1 |
| May | 68 | 48 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 57 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 62 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 55 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 43 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 49 | 33 | 2.6 | 5 | 1.9 |
| Dec | 38 | 22 | 2.3 | 6 | 5.9 |
| Year | 59 | 40 | 39.5 | 74 | 33.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Chicago Botanic Garden, IL (630 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 Wilmette
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 365 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Wilmette: 273 thunderstorm wind reports, 42 floods, 27 flash floods, 13 heavy rain events and 10 lightning strikes. They killed 3 people and injured 25, and the NWS estimated $522.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on August 10, 2020. June has had the most flash floods, 8 of 27. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 377 have had fewer than Wilmette.
October 13, 2001: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Wilmette — 1 killed, 6 injured, $5,000 damage.
September 18, 2013: heavy rain event 10 miles from the centre of Wilmette — 1 killed.
September 5, 2014: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Wilmette — 1 killed.
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 Wilmette's ZIP code 60091 have filed 143 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $451,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1987: 20 claims (14% of all) and $61,000, then Mid-spring storms in 2013 with 18 and Hurricane Ike in 2008 with 12. The year with the most claims was 1981, with 24. 35% 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, 239 have fewer than Wilmette.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1987 | 20 | $61,000 |
| Mid-spring storms2013 | 18 | $142,000 |
| Hurricane Ike2008 | 12 | $48,000 |
Cook County, which includes Wilmette, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 floods, 8 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Floodng, on September 20, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cook County a Very High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively High for hail; Relatively Low for coastal flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $2.42 billion a year, the highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.10 billion (45%), 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.