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Wind in Hamilton County, Illinois
135 damaging wind events in the NCEI Storm Events record, 1950 to 2026. Event types counted: Thunderstorm Wind, High Wind, Strong Wind.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. Storm records through 30 Jun 2026.
NCEI records 135 wind events in Hamilton County, Illinois, between 1950 and 2026, spread over 38 years.
March is the busiest month, with 18 of the recorded events. The last 20 years account for 91 events against 39 in the 20 years before, a change that reflects reporting practice as much as weather.
The county holds 0.5% of the 24,881 wind events recorded in Illinois; its 31.1 per 100 square miles compares with 44.8 statewide.
NCEI attributes 1 death in the county to damaging wind.
45 wind reports with a measured or estimated speed reached the 58 mph severe threshold, and 10 reached hurricane force (74 mph).
Some winter weather and high wind events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county; zone-recorded events whose zone is named for the county are included and marked "Forecast zone" in the table.
Compared with Illinois
| Measure | Hamilton County | Illinois | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wind events since 1950 | 135 | 24,881 | 701,953 |
| Per 100 square miles | 31.1 | 44.8 | 19.9 |
| Per 10,000 residents | 170.6 | 19.6 | 21.1 |
| Deaths recorded | 1 | 54 | 2,166 |
| Busiest month | March | June | June |
By year
Seasonality
10Feb
16Mar
18Apr
18May
14Jun
16Jul
13Aug
3Sep
2Oct
8Nov
8Dec
9
Magnitude distribution
NWS wind thresholds
- under 58 mph
- below severe threshold
- 58–73 mph
- severe
- 74–95 mph
- hurricane-force
- 96 mph and over
- extreme
Wind speed converted from the knots NCEI records; estimated and measured gusts are combined. Events without a speed are not binned.
Recorded events
All 135 events, most recent first. Magnitude is hail size, tornado rating or wind speed as recorded.
| Date | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | 81 mph | $2K | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Oct 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Strong Wind | 41 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 19 Mar 2025 | Strong Wind | 43 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 14 Mar 2025 | Strong Wind | 40 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 5 Mar 2025 | Strong Wind | 41 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 1 Aug 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | 85 mph | $90K | — | — | — | County |
| 30 Jul 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | 70 mph | $15K | — | — | — | County |
| 26 May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | 75 mph | $10K | — | — | — | County |
| 26 May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | 75 mph | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 25 Mar 2024 | Strong Wind | 40 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 14 Mar 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | 75 mph | $20K | — | — | — | County |
| 12 Jan 2024 | Strong Wind | 40 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 14 Jul 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | 64 mph | $10K | — | — | — | County |
| 1 Jul 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | 81 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 30 Jun 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | $2K | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Apr 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | 70 mph | $30K | — | — | — | County |
| 1 Apr 2023 | Strong Wind | 40 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 31 Mar 2023 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 3 Mar 2023 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 27 Feb 2023 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 22 Feb 2023 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 14 Feb 2023 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 9 Feb 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | $1K | — | — | — | County |
| 9 Feb 2023 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 5 Nov 2022 | Strong Wind | 41 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 8 Jul 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | 70 mph | $15K | — | — | — | County |
| 17 Jun 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | 70 mph | $8K | — | — | — | County |
| 30 Mar 2022 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 25 Mar 2021 | Strong Wind | 40 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 14 Nov 2020 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 10 Aug 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | 64 mph | $10K | $50K | — | — | County |
| 13 Apr 2020 | Strong Wind | 40 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 26 Nov 2019 | Strong Wind | 41 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 17 Jul 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | 64 mph | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 21 Jun 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | 59 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Apr 2019 | Strong Wind | 40 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 14 Mar 2019 | Strong Wind | 49 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 9 Mar 2019 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 24 Feb 2019 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 27 Dec 2018 | Strong Wind | 48 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 25 Nov 2018 | Strong Wind | 35 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 26 Jun 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | $1K | — | — | — | County |
| 31 May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 31 May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | 64 mph | $10K | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Feb 2018 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 22 Jan 2018 | Strong Wind | 40 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 18 Nov 2017 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 17 May 2017 | Strong Wind | 40 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 5 May 2017 | Strong Wind | 40 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 6 Mar 2017 | Strong Wind | 40 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 10 Jan 2017 | Strong Wind | 41 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 13 Jul 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | $6K | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Jul 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | 75 mph | $30K | — | — | — | County |
| 25 Jun 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | 70 mph | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 11 May 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 7 May 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | 61 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 26 Apr 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | $2K | — | — | — | County |
| 6 Apr 2016 | High Wind | 75 mph | $40K | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 28 Feb 2016 | Strong Wind | 49 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 19 Feb 2016 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 13 Dec 2015 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 25 Jun 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | 64 mph | $10K | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Oct 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 4 Jun 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | 81 mph | $20K | — | — | — | County |
| 20 Feb 2014 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 26 Jan 2014 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 21 Jan 2014 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 29 Jan 2013 | Strong Wind | 53 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 20 Dec 2012 | Strong Wind | 48 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 7 Sep 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Nov 2011 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 19 Apr 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | 120 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 3 Apr 2011 | Strong Wind | 49 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 26 Oct 2010 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 12 Aug 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | $80K | — | — | — | County |
| 24 Dec 2009 | Strong Wind | 39 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 9 Dec 2009 | Strong Wind | 41 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 8 May 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Mar 2009 | Strong Wind | 43 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 11 Feb 2009 | High Wind | 58 mph | $5K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 27 Dec 2008 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 27 Dec 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | $10K | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Dec 2008 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 14 Dec 2008 | Strong Wind | 45 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 9 Jun 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | $2K | — | — | — | County |
| 11 May 2008 | Strong Wind | 52 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 17 Feb 2008 | Strong Wind | 52 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 17 Feb 2008 | Strong Wind | 52 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 29 Jan 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | 70 mph | $6K | — | — | — | County |
| 18 Oct 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | $6K | — | — | — | County |
| 21 Jul 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | $30K | — | — | — | County |
| 22 Jun 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 2 Apr 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 9 Mar 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | 70 mph | $75K | — | — | — | County |
| 16 Feb 2006 | Strong Wind | 49 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 19 Jan 2006 | Strong Wind | 32 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 8 Jan 2006 | Strong Wind | 31 mph | $1K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 8 Jun 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | 62 mph | $10K | — | — | — | County |
| 22 Apr 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | $2K | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Jul 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 30 May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | $50K | — | — | — | County |
| 27 May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 9 Jul 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 10 Jun 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 10 Jun 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 21 Apr 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 9 Mar 2002 | High Wind | — | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 29 Nov 2001 | Strong Wind | — | $3K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 24 Oct 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | $50K | — | — | — | County |
| 20 Apr 2000 | High Wind | — | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 27 Feb 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $20K | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Feb 1999 | Strong Wind | — | $8K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 10 Nov 1998 | High Wind | 58 mph | $5K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 14 Jul 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | $8K | — | — | — | County |
| 30 Apr 1997 | High Wind | 60 mph | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 22 Oct 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 22 Oct 1996 | High Wind | — | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 21 Apr 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $50K | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Apr 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $10K | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Mar 1996 | High Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 7 Jun 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 17 May 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 17 May 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | $10K | — | — | — | County |
| 27 Apr 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Apr 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | $50 | — | — | — | County |
| 2 Jul 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 16 Jun 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 3 Apr 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Jan 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Mar 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Jun 1982 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Jun 1982 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 20 Jul 1981 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 17 Sep 1978 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
Questions and answers
How many wind events has Hamilton County had?
135 events in the NCEI Storm Events record between 1950 and 2026. Reporting of damaging wind became far more complete after 1996, so early decades undercount.
When was the last recorded wind event in Hamilton County?
19 Oct 2025 (Thunderstorm Wind, 60 mph). Records reach NCEI about 120 days after the month ends.
What was the most damaging wind event recorded in Hamilton County?
The thunderstorm wind of 1 Aug 2024, with property damage estimated by NCEI at $90K.
How does Hamilton County compare with Illinois for wind?
31.1 events per 100 square miles against 44.8 statewide; the county holds 135 of the state's 24,881 recorded events.
Provenance
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026, public domain. County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county (marked "Forecast zone"). Population and area from the US Census Bureau (2021). Built 1 Oct 2026. See the methodology, the Wind hub and the county page.