Illinois, 1996
The year's recorded storm events, federal disaster declarations and flood insurance claims.
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.
Events by hazard
Includes events recorded by forecast zone. The state's yearly total for 1996 was 1,262 against 475 in 1995.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Aug 1996 | Cook | Heat | — | — | 5 | — |
| 18 May 1996 | Cook | Heat | — | — | 2 | — |
| 2 Feb 1996 | Cook | Cold/Wind Chill | — | — | 2 | — |
| 17 Jul 1996 | Will | Flash Flood | — | — | 2 | — |
| 19 Apr 1996 | Champaign | Tornado | F3 | — | 1 | 13 |
| 2 Feb 1996 | Sangamon | Cold/Wind Chill | — | — | 1 | — |
| 25 Mar 1996 | Macon | High Wind | — | — | 1 | — |
| 2 Feb 1996 | Kankakee | Cold/Wind Chill | — | — | 1 | — |
| 9 May 1996 | Cook | Lightning | — | — | 1 | — |
| 17 Jun 1996 | Cook | Lightning | — | — | 1 | — |
| 2 Feb 1996 | Peoria | Cold/Wind Chill | — | — | 1 | — |
| 19 Mar 1996 | Clark | Winter Storm | — | — | 1 | — |
| 19 Apr 1996 | Macon | Tornado | F3 | $9,000,000 | — | 29 |
| 19 Apr 1996 | Champaign | Tornado | F3 | $9,000,000 | — | 12 |
| 18 Apr 1996 | Macon | Tornado | F1 | $1,500,000 | — | 9 |
| 19 Apr 1996 | Marion | Tornado | F2 | $7,000,000 | — | 7 |
| 19 Apr 1996 | Henry | Tornado | F3 | $10,000,000 | — | 4 |
| 19 Apr 1996 | Henry | Tornado | F0 | $10,000,000 | — | 4 |
| 17 Jul 1996 | Cook | Flash Flood | — | $44,700,000 | — | — |
| 19 Apr 1996 | Lake | Tornado | F2 | $6,600,000 | — | 2 |
| 19 Apr 1996 | Lake | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $5,000,000 | — | 2 |
| 5 May 1996 | Massac | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $100,000 | — | 2 |
| 5 May 1996 | Union | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $50,000 | — | 2 |
| 2 Jan 1996 | De Witt | Winter Storm | — | — | — | 2 |
| 2 Jan 1996 | Jasper | Winter Storm | — | — | — | 2 |
| 18 Jan 1996 | De Witt | Winter Storm | — | — | — | 2 |
| 7 Sep 1996 | Shelby | Lightning | — | — | — | 2 |
| 17 Jul 1996 | Grundy | Flash Flood | — | $1,000,000 | — | — |
| 17 Jul 1996 | Kane | Flash Flood | — | $14,500,000 | — | — |
| 19 Apr 1996 | Piatt | Tornado | F1 | $1,000,000 | — | 1 |
| 19 Apr 1996 | Morgan | Tornado | F2 | $400,000 | — | 1 |
| 25 May 1996 | Marion | Thunderstorm Wind | 69 mph | $25,000 | — | 1 |
| 26 Feb 1996 | Sangamon | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 24 May 1996 | Cook | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 24 May 1996 | Cook | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 19 Apr 1996 | Effingham | Thunderstorm Wind | — | — | — | 1 |
| 19 Apr 1996 | Mason | Tornado | F2 | — | — | 1 |
| 23 Aug 1996 | Madison | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 7 Sep 1996 | Cook | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 29 Oct 1996 | Iroquois | Thunderstorm Wind | 61 mph | — | — | 1 |
Up to 40 events with deaths, injuries, damage of $50,000 or more, or a tornado rating, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage.
Federal disaster declarations in 1996
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Jul 1996 | DR-1129 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding | 11 |
| 6 May 1996 | DR-1112 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding | 28 |
| 23 Apr 1996 | DR-1110 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Tornadoes | 5 |
Flood insurance claims with a 1996 date of loss
2,621 NFIP claims, 1,970 of them paid, for $23,726,306.
Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (29 Sep 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 30 Sep 2026.