NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Woodlawn, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Woodlawn, Illinois since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 99 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 99
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Woodlawn
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Woodlawn; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 51 mph winds when its centre passed 33 miles away. The record near Woodlawn begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 24 miles away. Of the 5 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Woodlawn is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 548 Illinois cities on this site. The strongest of the 99 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on December 18, 1957; its path came within 17 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an EF4 on November 17, 2013, killed 2 people. Of the 99, 4 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 March 14, 2025. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 79% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Woodlawn. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 80 times since 1956, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Of the 548 Illinois cities, 60% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Woodlawn.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Woodlawn
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 54 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 Woodlawn: 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 Woodlawn
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s22(1 EF3+)
- 2000s26(2 EF3+)
- 1990s11(1 EF3+)
- 1980s2
- 1970s6
- 1960s7
- 1950s14(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 18, 1957 | F5 | 17 mi | 5.4 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF4 | 16 mi | 10.59 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Dec 18, 1957 | F4 | 3 mi | 16.8 mi | 1 / 45 |
| Mar 11, 2006 | F3 | 16 mi | 53.5 mi | 2 / 12 |
| Apr 21, 2002 | F3 | 17 mi | 31.5 mi | 1 / 42 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F3 | 21 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1958 | F3 | 16 mi | 20.6 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Dec 18, 1957 | F3 | 21 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 23, 2012 | EF2 | 13 mi | 2.58 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Mar 30, 1982 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.8 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 19 mi | 15.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 2011 | EF2 | 4 mi | 13.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 99, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Woodlawn
The Storm Prediction Center has 80 hail reports within 10 miles of Woodlawn since 1956, made on 64 separate days. Of these, 43 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on May 5, 1999. The most recent report is from March 30, 2025. April has the most reports, 29.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Woodlawn
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mt Vernon 3 NE, IL, 11 miles east of Woodlawn at 490 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 22°F. May is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 45.0 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 21 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 108 nights a year. Snowfall averages 10.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 45.0 inches is more than at 125 of the 146 Illinois stations used on this site (86%). Centralia, 14 miles north, has its own station (Iuka 12 SW, IL): 44.8 inches a year, 0.2 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 22 | 2.6 | 5 | 3.2 |
| Feb | 44 | 25 | 2.6 | 5 | 3.1 |
| Mar | 54 | 34 | 4.0 | 7 | 1.0 |
| Apr | 65 | 44 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 74 | 55 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 64 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 67 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 65 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 57 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 45 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 54 | 34 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 43 | 26 | 2.9 | 6 | 2.5 |
| Year | 64 | 45 | 45.0 | 74 | 10.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mt Vernon 3 NE, IL (490 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 Woodlawn
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 121 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Woodlawn: 83 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods, 14 heavy rain events, 8 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 4 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on March 14, 2024. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 15. Of the 547 Illinois cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 245 have had fewer than Woodlawn.
March 18, 2008: flood 9 miles from the centre of Woodlawn — 2 killed, $58,000 damage.
May 10, 2015: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Woodlawn — 1 killed, $45,000 damage.
July 16, 2021: flood 7 miles from the centre of Woodlawn — 1 killed, $30,000 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
Jefferson County, which includes Woodlawn, has been named in 5 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 2002, 3 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane, 1 severe storm, 1 tornado). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Jefferson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $34.1 million a year, the 27th highest of 102 Illinois counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.0 million (23%), 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 Woodlawn
- Mount Vernon, IL8 mi
- Centralia, IL14 mi
- Sesser, IL17 mi
- Nashville, IL18 mi
- Sandoval, IL19 mi
- Odin, IL19 mi
- Salem, IL21 mi
- Benton, IL24 mi
- Du Quoin, IL25 mi
- Christopher, IL25 mi
- Wayne City, IL25 mi
- Pinckneyville, IL26 mi
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