Illinois, 2003
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 2003 was 1,765 against 1,427 in 2002.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Aug 2003 | Cook | Heat | — | — | 2 | — |
| 6 May 2003 | Massac | Tornado | F4 | $10,000,000 | 1 | 20 |
| 6 May 2003 | Pulaski | Tornado | F4 | $3,500,000 | 1 | 13 |
| 23 Jan 2003 | Cook | Cold/Wind Chill | — | — | 1 | — |
| 30 Jan 2003 | Cook | Cold/Wind Chill | — | — | 1 | — |
| 16 Feb 2003 | Cook | Cold/Wind Chill | — | — | 1 | — |
| 9 Mar 2003 | Cook | Cold/Wind Chill | — | — | 1 | — |
| 24 Jun 2003 | Cook | Heat | — | — | 1 | — |
| 8 May 2003 | Jersey | Flash Flood | — | — | 1 | — |
| 24 Aug 2003 | St. Clair | Heat | — | — | 1 | — |
| 10 May 2003 | Tazewell | Tornado | F3 | $10,000,000 | — | 32 |
| 21 Jul 2003 | Henry | Thunderstorm Wind | 92 mph | $50,000,000 | — | — |
| 2 Aug 2003 | Macon | Thunderstorm Wind | 71 mph | — | — | 5 |
| 30 May 2003 | De Witt | Tornado | F2 | $9,300,000 | — | 4 |
| 10 May 2003 | Adams | Tornado | F2 | — | — | 4 |
| 10 May 2003 | Woodford | Tornado | F2 | — | — | 4 |
| 26 Sep 2003 | Coles | Tornado | F1 | $10,000,000 | — | 1 |
| 10 Jun 2003 | St. Clair | Tornado | F2 | — | — | 2 |
| 27 Jul 2003 | DeKalb | Thunderstorm Wind | 74 mph | — | — | 2 |
| 27 Jul 2003 | Will | Flash Flood | — | $14,000,000 | — | — |
| 20 Jul 2003 | Mercer | Thunderstorm Wind | 81 mph | $10,000,000 | — | — |
| 6 May 2003 | Alexander | Tornado | F2 | $300,000 | — | 1 |
| 8 Jul 2003 | Henderson | Thunderstorm Wind | 63 mph | $200,000 | — | 1 |
| 18 Jul 2003 | Hancock | Thunderstorm Wind | 81 mph | $60,000 | — | 1 |
| 5 Jul 2003 | Stephenson | Thunderstorm Wind | 63 mph | $20,000 | — | 1 |
| 3 Aug 2003 | DuPage | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 13 Nov 2003 | Cook | High Wind | 58 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 13 Nov 2003 | Kendall | High Wind | 58 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 4 Apr 2003 | Cook | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 8 May 2003 | Henderson | Hail | 4.00 in | $10,000,000 | — | — |
| 30 Apr 2003 | Henry | Flash Flood | — | $10,000,000 | — | — |
| 10 Jun 2003 | Perry | Thunderstorm Wind | 69 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 30 Apr 2003 | Mercer | Flash Flood | — | $10,000,000 | — | — |
| 10 May 2003 | Mason | Tornado | F2 | — | — | 1 |
| 10 Jun 2003 | Marion | Thunderstorm Wind | 70 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 6 Jul 2003 | LaSalle | Hail | 1.75 in | — | — | 1 |
| 8 Jul 2003 | LaSalle | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 3 Jul 2003 | Kane | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 5 Jul 2003 | Winnebago | Thunderstorm Wind | 104 mph | $5,000,000 | — | — |
| 5 Jul 2003 | Cook | Thunderstorm Wind | 90 mph | $5,000,000 | — | — |
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 2003
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 May 2003 | DR-1469 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | 16 |
Flood insurance claims with a 2003 date of loss
314 NFIP claims, 203 of them paid, for $938,426.
Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (1 Oct 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 1 Oct 2026.