Storms in Illinois in 1981
Every storm the National Weather Service filed in Illinois in 1981, with each episode’s narrative and every event in it. Before 1996 the record holds tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind only, without narratives; floods, heat, winter storms and the other kinds begin in 1996.
Illinois in 1981 on the map
Every episode with a place to put it, colored by kind of event.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The year
- Events
- 202
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 48
- Damage
- $46 million
- Episodes
- 38
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
By kind of event
| Kind of event | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 113 | 0 | 0 | |
| Hail | 53 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tornado | 36 | 1 | 48 | $46 million |
Every episode, month by month
March 1981
April 1981
- Tornado and Hail in Illinois, April 3, 1981
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Illinois, April 4, 1981
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Illinois, April 5, 1981
- Hail in Illinois, April 10, 1981
- Damaging Wind in Illinois, April 11, 1981
- Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, April 13, 1981
- Tornado in Illinois, April 22, 1981
- Hail in Illinois, April 25, 1981
- Hail in Illinois, April 28, 1981
May 1981
- Hail in Illinois, May 10, 1981
- Hail in Illinois, May 24, 1981
- Tornado in Illinois, May 27, 1981
- Damaging Wind in Illinois, May 29, 1981
June 1981
- Tornado and Hail in Illinois, June 1, 1981
- Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, June 8, 1981
- Damaging Winds in Illinois, June 15, 1981
- Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, June 20, 1981
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Illinois, June 21, 1981
- Damaging Winds in Illinois, June 24, 1981
- Damaging Wind in Illinois, June 29, 1981
July 1981
- Tornado in Illinois, July 4, 1981
- Damaging Wind in Illinois, July 10, 1981
- Damaging Winds in Illinois, July 13, 1981
- Damaging Wind in Illinois, July 15, 1981
- Damaging Wind in Illinois, July 19, 1981
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, July 20, 1981
- Damaging Wind in Illinois, July 23, 1981
- Tornadoes in Illinois, July 25, 1981
- Damaging Wind in Illinois, July 27, 1981
August 1981
- Damaging Wind in Illinois, August 5, 1981
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Illinois, August 9, 1981
- Damaging Winds in Illinois, August 14, 1981
- Tornado in Illinois, August 25, 1981
September 1981
October 1981
November 1981
More
Every year in IllinoisEvery state in 1981Tornadoes in Illinois in 198119801982
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.