NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Winnebago, 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 Winnebago, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 99 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 99
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
29 deaths in all
What the records show for Winnebago
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Winnebago; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 9 miles away. Of the 548 Illinois cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Winnebago. The highest rating among the 99 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 9, 2015, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 21, 1967, killed 24 people. Of the 99, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 64 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on June 3, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 79% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Winnebago. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 110 times since 1960, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Winnebago has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 548 Illinois cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Winnebago
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Winnebago: 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 Winnebago
By decade
- 2020s32
- 2010s20(1 EF3+)
- 2000s12(1 EF3+)
- 1990s9
- 1980s5
- 1970s9(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6(2 EF3+)
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 1967 | F4 | 17 mi | 25.5 mi | 24 / 450 |
| Apr 9, 2015 | EF4 | 19 mi | 30.14 mi | 2 / 11 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF3 | 23 mi | 13.1 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Aug 5, 1979 | F3 | 24 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 24, 1967 | F3 | 24 mi | 24.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 6, 1972 | F2 | 24 mi | 17.5 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Oct 8, 1958 | F2 | 10 mi | 81 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 2010 | EF2 | 15 mi | 18.1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Aug 17, 1979 | F2 | 5 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 1, 1971 | F2 | 20 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 30, 1958 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF1 | 14 mi | 27.51 mi | 1 / 40 |
The strongest 12 of 99, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Winnebago
The Storm Prediction Center has 110 hail reports within 10 miles of Winnebago since 1960, made on 81 separate days. Of these, 74 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 7, 2020. The most recent report is from July 10, 2025. April has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Winnebago
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rockford Gtr Rockford Airport, IL, 10 miles southeast of Winnebago at 730 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 29°F and 15°F. June is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 1.6 inches; the year adds up to 37.2 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 136 nights a year. Snowfall averages 37.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 37.2 inches is more than at 18 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (12%). Pecatonica, 5 miles northwest, has its own station (Freeport Waste Wtp, IL): 38.6 inches a year, 1.4 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 15 | 1.6 | 4 | 10.9 |
| Feb | 33 | 18 | 1.6 | 4 | 8.5 |
| Mar | 47 | 28 | 2.4 | 5 | 4.9 |
| Apr | 60 | 39 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.9 |
| May | 71 | 50 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 60 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 64 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 62 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 54 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 42 | 2.6 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 47 | 31 | 2.3 | 5 | 2.3 |
| Dec | 34 | 20 | 1.9 | 5 | 9.4 |
| Year | 59 | 40 | 37.2 | 69 | 37.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rockford Gtr Rockford Airport, IL (730 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 Winnebago
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 224 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Winnebago: 171 thunderstorm wind reports, 25 floods, 17 flash floods, 6 heavy rain events and 5 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $11.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on July 5, 2003. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 17. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 278 have had fewer than Winnebago.
August 11, 2021: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Winnebago — 1 killed, 2 injured.
July 14, 2024: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Winnebago — 1 killed, 1 injured.
August 8, 2022: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Winnebago — 3 injured.
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
Winnebago County, which includes Winnebago, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 snowstorms, 5 floods, 4 severe storms, 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 Winnebago County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $121.6 million a year, the 9th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $67.8 million (56%), 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 Winnebago
- Pecatonica, IL5 mi
- Rockford, IL10 mi
- Byron, IL10 mi
- Stillman Valley, IL11 mi
- Durand, IL12 mi
- Machesney Park, IL12 mi
- Loves Park, IL12 mi
- Davis, IL14 mi
- Davis Junction, IL14 mi
- Rockton, IL15 mi
- Cherry Valley, IL16 mi
- Roscoe, IL16 mi
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