NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Wilmington, 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 Wilmington, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1941. Since 1950, 145 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 145
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
37 deaths in all
What the records show for Wilmington
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Wilmington; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm with 44 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. The record near Wilmington begins with an unnamed storm in 1932; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941. Wilmington has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 43% of the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 145 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on August 28, 1990; its path came within 16 miles, and it killed 29 people. Of the 145, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 84 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 47. The most recent tornado was on March 19, 2025. Wilmington has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 56% of the 548 Illinois cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1968, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 79% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Wilmington.
Compare Wilmington's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Wilmington
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 60 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 Wilmington: 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 Wilmington
By decade
- 2020s30
- 2010s35(1 EF3+)
- 2000s19
- 1990s12(2 EF3+)
- 1980s16(2 EF3+)
- 1970s16(2 EF3+)
- 1960s11(2 EF3+)
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 1990 | F5 | 16 mi | 16.4 mi | 29 / 350 |
| Apr 17, 1963 | F4 | 9 mi | 57.3 mi | 1 / 70 |
| Jun 29, 1979 | F4 | 16 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 27, 1984 | F3 | 20 mi | 9 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Apr 7, 1954 | F3 | 15 mi | 42.6 mi | 1 / 13 |
| Jun 22, 2015 | EF3 | 4 mi | 16.26 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F3 | 20 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 2, 1982 | F3 | 17 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Jul 17, 1972 | F3 | 13 mi | 81.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1961 | F3 | 2 mi | 51.7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 12, 1965 | F2 | 12 mi | 35.9 mi | 2 / 90 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 20 mi | 5.96 mi | 1 / 13 |
The strongest 12 of 145, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Wilmington
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of Wilmington since 1968, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 7, 1991. The most recent report is from May 7, 2024. May has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Wilmington
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Channahon Dresden Isl Dam, IL, 10 miles northwest of Wilmington at 505 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 17°F. May is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.7 inches; the year adds up to 37.5 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 21 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 127 nights a year. Snowfall averages 18.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 37.5 inches is more than at 23 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (16%). Elwood, 9 miles north, has its own station (Joliet Brandon Rd Dam, IL): 38.1 inches a year, 0.6 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 17 | 2.1 | 5 | 6.4 |
| Feb | 37 | 20 | 1.7 | 4 | 5.2 |
| Mar | 48 | 30 | 2.2 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 61 | 40 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 72 | 51 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 60 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 65 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 63 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 56 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 44 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 50 | 33 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 37 | 23 | 2.0 | 5 | 6.1 |
| Year | 60 | 42 | 37.5 | 69 | 18.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Channahon Dresden Isl Dam, IL (505 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 Wilmington
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 116 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Wilmington: 85 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 9 floods, 8 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on August 19, 2009. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 195 have had fewer than Wilmington.
February 20, 2018: flood 10 miles from the centre of Wilmington — $1.1 million damage.
January 8, 2008: flood 10 miles from the centre of Wilmington — $500,000 damage.
January 25, 2024: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Wilmington — $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
Flood insurance policyholders in Wilmington's ZIP code 60481 have filed 408 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $3.9 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1985: 124 claims (30% of all) and $1.5 million, then Hurricane Ike in 2008 with 26 and Mid-spring storms in 2013 with 14. 41% 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, 296 have fewer than Wilmington.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1985 | 124 | $1.5 million |
| Hurricane Ike2008 | 26 | $360,000 |
| Mid-spring storms2013 | 14 | $66,000 |
Will County, which includes Wilmington, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 4 floods, 4 snowstorms, 3 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Floodng, on September 20, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Will County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes; Relatively High for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for hail and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $348.1 million a year, the 3rd highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $193.0 million (55%), 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.