NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Winchester, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Winchester, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1902. Since 1950, 98 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 98
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Winchester
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Winchester; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. Of the 548 Illinois cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Winchester. The highest rating among the 98 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 1, 1983, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on May 24, 2004, killed 1 person. Of the 98, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 59 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 81% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Winchester. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 43 times since 1964, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 548 Illinois cities, 87% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Winchester.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Winchester
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 62 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 Winchester: 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 Winchester
By decade
- 2020s19
- 2010s15
- 2000s25
- 1990s19
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1970s5
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 1983 | F3 | 24 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Apr 24, 1961 | F3 | in town | 64.2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 18, 2025 | EF2 | 17 mi | 6.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF2 | 22 mi | 12.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 11, 2021 | EF2 | 17 mi | 5.83 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 20, 2014 | EF2 | 11 mi | 12.09 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 19, 2009 | EF2 | 24 mi | 19.15 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F2 | 11 mi | 67 mi | 0 / 20 |
| May 24, 2004 | F2 | 12 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 8, 1999 | F2 | 9 mi | 27.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 11, 1999 | F2 | 15 mi | 21.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F2 | 16 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 98, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Winchester
The Storm Prediction Center has 43 hail reports within 10 miles of Winchester since 1964, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 10 days, most recently March 14, 2024. The most recent report is from August 30, 2024. May has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Winchester
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Winchester, IL, in Winchester at 551 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 18°F. June is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.1 inches; the year adds up to 40.5 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 34 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 122 nights a year. That 40.5 inches is more than at 85 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (58%). Roodhouse, 12 miles southeast, has its own station (White Hall 1 E, IL): 39.7 inches a year, 0.8 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 18 | 2.3 | 4 |
| Feb | 41 | 21 | 2.1 | 5 |
| Mar | 53 | 31 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Apr | 65 | 41 | 4.4 | 7 |
| May | 75 | 52 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Jun | 84 | 62 | 5.0 | 7 |
| Jul | 87 | 65 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Aug | 86 | 63 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Sep | 80 | 54 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Oct | 68 | 43 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Nov | 53 | 32 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Dec | 41 | 23 | 2.4 | 5 |
| Year | 64 | 42 | 40.5 | 69 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Winchester, IL (551 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 Winchester
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 86 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Winchester: 63 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods and 8 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $4.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on December 17, 2002. June has had the most flash floods, 6 of 15. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 245 have had fewer than Winchester.
May 8, 2000: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Winchester — 3 injured.
May 8, 2000: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Winchester — 1 injured, $30,000 damage.
February 11, 1999: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Winchester — 1 injured.
NWS: “As a severe thunderstorm moved through the area, a greenhouse in Lynnville was destroyed. In Jacksonville, four businesses sustained major roof damage and a window in a restaurant was blown in causing one minor injury from flying glass.”
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 Winchester's ZIP code 62694 have filed 13 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $98,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 46% 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, 26 have fewer than Winchester.
Scott County, which includes Winchester, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 5 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on August 15, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Scott County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $3.7 million a year, the 100th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.1 million (31%), 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 Winchester
- Roodhouse, IL12 mi
- White Hall, IL14 mi
- Jacksonville, IL14 mi
- Pittsfield, IL17 mi
- Greenfield, IL22 mi
- Carrollton, IL23 mi
- Virginia, IL26 mi
- Beardstown, IL26 mi
- Waverly, IL28 mi
- Mt Sterling, IL29 mi
- New Berlin, IL31 mi
- Pleasant Plains, IL34 mi
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