Shelby County, Illinois
Tornadoes, hail, floods and severe storms recorded here between 1955 and 2026, from NOAA's Storm Events Database. Search an address to see which tornadoes came closest to it.
39
Tornado reports
66
Hail reports
66
Floods since 1996
411
All events
9
Deaths
$21.1M
Property damage
Tornado paths in Shelby County
The part of each tornado’s path NOAA recorded in this county, 39 in all. Zoom in and the paths widen to their surveyed width.
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated
Year by year
All storm eventsTornadoes
NOAA's storm database records tornadoes back to 1950 and hail and thunderstorm wind back to 1955, but floods only from 1996 on. Older floods are missing here. For those, the U.S. Geological Survey's stream gauge records and flood reports are the place to look.
Most significant events
The strongest tornadoes, deadliest events and biggest damage here, up to 50.
A man tried to drive across a flooded road near the intersection of 1600 East and County highway 26 southwest of Shelbyville on the morning of March 31st. His car was pushed off the road by the current, and he was swept away after exiting the vehicle. 24-hour rainfall in the area…
A 29 year-old fisherman was struck by lightning on the Kaskaskia River near the Lake Shelbyville Dam at around 3:50 PM CDT on Sunday, May 26th. The man later died at Shelby Memorial Hospital in Shelbyville.
A 79-year old man died of hypothermia outside his home in Shelbyville. Temperatures were in the teens at the time his body was discovered.
Hundreds of trees were uprooted in the town of Windsor. Several trees and large branches damaged about 200 house roofs in town. The strong wind also blew shingles off of many houses. One house on the west side of town was pushed several inches off of its foundation. Power poles s…
A tornado touched down on the east side of Lake Pana in Shelby County. Four homes and one mobile home were destroyed. A woman in the mobile home was injured and hospitalised for a time. A mile northeast near Route 16, several more homes were damaged or destroyed and two people in…
Thunderstorm winds blew down or destroyed over 1,000 trees in Moweaqua. Two homes sustained serious damage and numerous homes had minor damage. Numerous power, telephone, and cable lines were blown down. Property damage was estimated around $750,000 and crop damage around $6 mill…
Tornado EF0 Tornado
The tornado touched down in a field in far southern Shelby County and moved northeast. It hit one farmstead and did minor tree damage and peeled parts of the metal off a barn. The tornado continued northeast and dissipated near the intersection of E 100 North Rd and N 2700 East R…
Tornado EFU Tornado
A trained spotter reported a brief tornado touchdown near Tower Hill. No damage was observed.
Tornado EF1 Tornado
The tornado crossed from Macon County into Shelby County just east of Route 51 near Long Grove Creek. It tracked east, just south of the county line for about 1.8 miles, damaging trees and electrical transmission lines. The tornado lifted 3 miles northeast of Moweaqua along N 100…
Tornado EF1 Tornado
The tornado touched down in extreme northeast Shelby County along E 2800 North Road where it snapped a softwood tree and removed large branches from hardwood trees. It crossed into Moultrie County at E 2800 North Road and Route 128.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Several power lines and trees were blown down across town.
Flood Flood
Deep water was standing at the intersection of South 10th Street and Vine Street.
Flood Flood
Parking lots, driveways, and roads were inundated with approximately 1 foot of standing water across Shelbyville.
Flash Flood Flash Flood
Water was flowing across IL-32 north of Windsor.
Hail Hail
Hail Hail
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A member of the public measured a 60 mph wind gust in Shelbyville.
Hail Hail
Hail Hail
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Snow accumulations of less than an inch were reported across the region, but westerly winds gusting 40 to 50 mph resulted in blowing snow, slick roadways, and reduced visibility. Numerous accidents were reported across the region, and the county emergency manager reported that Ro…
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A large tree limb, about eight inches in diameter, was blown down in Shelbyville.
Drought Drought
Due to a multi-month precipitation deficit dating back to Fall of 2025, Severe Drought (D2) was in place at the start of the month. However, well above normal precipitation occurred across the region during March. By mid-March, the drought had improved and was no longer classifie…
Drought Drought
Due to a multi-month precipitation deficit dating back to the Fall of 2025, Severe Drought (D2) was ongoing at the start of the month. Central Illinois then experienced one of the driest Februarys on record, and the Severe Drought (D2) persisted through the end of the month. Stre…
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Bitterly cold wind-chill values of -20 to -30 occurred across Shelby County during the morning of January 26th.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
Weather observers measured 6 to 8 inches of snow across Shelby County...including 6.5 inches in Shelbyville. Due to both falling and drifting snow, travel became extremely hazardous...leading to numerous traffic accidents on area roadways.
Drought Drought
Due to a multi-month precipitation deficit dating back to Fall of 2025, drought conditions worsened to Severe (D2) across Shelby County by early January. Continued below normal precipitation led to the Severe Drought (D2) persisting through the month.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Weather observers measured 1 to 3 inches of snow across Shelby County...including 2.0 inches at the Shelbyville Dam. Due to snow-covered and slick roadways, a few traffic accidents occurred.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Bitterly cold wind-chill values of -20 to -30 occurred across Shelby County during the morning of December 14th.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
Numerous weather observers measured 5 to 10 inches of snow across Shelby County...including 9.5 inches in Windsor and 5.5 inches 2 miles south of Moweaqua. Due to both falling snow and considerable blowing and drifting snow, travel became extremely hazardous...leading to numerous…
Drought Drought
Due to a two-month rainfall deficit, Severe Drought (D2) was ongoing at the start of the month. Well below normal rainfall and above normal temperatures occurred during the first half of the month, with the cooperative weather observer at the Shelbyville Dam measuring just 0.02 i…
Hail Hail
Drought Drought
Due to a two-month rainfall deficit, Severe Drought (D2) conditions developed across Shelby County on September 30th. Burn bans have been put into place across portions of the county accordingly.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Shingles were blown off a few homes and corn crops were flattened on the south edge of town.
Flood Flood
Robinson Creek flooded onto the roadway along Highway 16 near 1300 East.
Flash Flood Flash Flood
Many streets in Cowden had water flowing across them.
Flash Flood Flash Flood
Water was flowing over the roadway near Highway 128 and County Highway 3 west of Findlay.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A large tree was split.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A tree was blown onto power lines.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Several large trees were blown down or completely uprooted by a suspected thunderstorm microburst.
High Wind High Wind
A wake low resulted in strong non-thunderstorm wind gusts, which were measured at 50-58 mph over a 15 minute period. Sustained winds were measured at 40-45 mph during this same time frame. No damage was reported.
Hail Hail
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Several large tree branches were blown down.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A few tree branches were blown down.
Hail Hail
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
The second level of a barn was torn off near Findlay along Route 128.
Tornado EF1 Tornado
The tornado began near the intersection of county roads 100N and 2700E, about two miles south-southwest of Stewardson, where a hardwood tree was uprooted and the northeast side of the roof of a farm outbuilding was peeled off. The tornado crossed county road 2700E and struck a la…
Tornado EF1 Tornado
The tornado began near county road 1175N, damaging a few trees and destroying a small shed. It then traveled north-northeast, destroying a large pole barn near county road 1300N and North 2900 East Road. As the tornado continued northeast, it destroyed two grain bins and snapped …
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
Weather observers measured 6 to 10 inches of snow across Shelby County. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.
Events by year, as a table
| Year | Events | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20 | 4 |
| 2025 | 22 | 2 |
| 2024 | 8 | 0 |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 |
| 2022 | 17 | 0 |
| 2021 | 7 | 2 |
| 2020 | 4 | 0 |
| 2019 | 8 | 1 |
| 2018 | 8 | 0 |
| 2017 | 12 | 0 |
| 2016 | 4 | 0 |
| 2015 | 12 | 0 |
| 2014 | 12 | 4 |
| 2013 | 11 | 0 |
| 2012 | 14 | 0 |
| 2011 | 21 | 2 |
| 2010 | 13 | 0 |
| 2009 | 17 | 2 |
| 2008 | 13 | 1 |
| 2007 | 8 | 0 |
| 2006 | 17 | 2 |
| 2005 | 5 | 0 |
| 2004 | 13 | 0 |
| 2003 | 9 | 0 |
| 2002 | 18 | 1 |
| 2001 | 9 | 1 |
| 2000 | 17 | 1 |
| 1999 | 12 | 1 |
| 1998 | 12 | 3 |
| 1997 | 10 | 0 |
| 1996 | 13 | 0 |
| 1995 | 5 | 2 |
| 1994 | 2 | 0 |
| 1992 | 1 | 0 |
| 1990 | 2 | 1 |
| 1988 | 1 | 1 |
| 1987 | 1 | 0 |
| 1986 | 2 | 0 |
| 1984 | 2 | 0 |
| 1982 | 3 | 0 |
| 1979 | 2 | 0 |
| 1978 | 1 | 0 |
| 1977 | 1 | 1 |
| 1975 | 1 | 0 |
| 1974 | 5 | 2 |
| 1971 | 1 | 0 |
| 1969 | 1 | 1 |
| 1961 | 2 | 2 |
| 1959 | 1 | 1 |
| 1958 | 4 | 0 |
| 1955 | 1 | 1 |
Search your address
See every tornado that passed within 25 miles of a place in Shelby County, measured to its path.
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