Lightning in Illinois

Events

447

Deaths

22

Injuries

90

Damage

$26 million

• Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, December 1, 201823 injured · $124 million · EF3 · 34 eventsAn historic tornado outbreak occurred across Illinois on December 1st, with a total of 29 tornadoes touching down across the central part of the state.
• Flash Flood and Hail in Illinois, June 18 to 19, 20101 death · 9 injured · $889,000 · 1 in hail · 89 eventsA line of severe thunderstorms moved from Iowa into northwest Illinois during the mid afternoon hours and then raced east across northern Illinois producing damaging winds as high as 90 mph. These thunderstorms produced widespread wind and tree damage across northern Illinois.
• Flash Flooding and Flooding in Illinois, July 23 to 24, 20101 death · $261 million · 61 kt wind · 35 eventsStrong to severe thunderstorms moved across northern Illinois during the afternoon and evening hours of July 23rd producing strong winds.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Illinois, July 11, 20111 death · 6 injured · $656,000 · 75 kt wind · 91 eventsOn the morning of July 11th, a derecho swept across northern Illinois leaving a wide swath of damage from severe winds.
• Lightning Strike in Illinois, June 10, 19992 deaths · 1 eventA man and woman fishing along the Rock River just east of the U.S. 67 bridge in Milan were struck and killed by lightning. The couple were fishing underneath a tree when the storm rolled in.
• Tornadoes and Flood in Illinois, November 22, 20106 injured · $5.2 million · EF2 · 14 eventsStrong to severe thunderstorms moved across parts of northern Illinois during the afternoon hours of November 22nd. These storms produced two tornadoes, hail, heavy rain and some flooding.
• Flash Flooding and Flooding in Illinois, May 15 to 16, 20091 death · $365,000 · 2.75 in hail · 53 eventsA warm front lifted northward into the region during the early morning hours of May 15th, triggering a large complex of thunderstorms across Iowa. These storms tracked eastward into north-central Illinois producing very heavy rain west of the Illinois River during the morning.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Illinois, June 30, 20141 injured · $2.8 million · EF2 · 66 eventsExtensive damage was sustained from two separate lines of thunderstorms on Monday, June 30th which was officially determined to be from two separate derecho events from Central Iowa east into Michigan and Ohio.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, June 30, 20191 death · $363,000 · 1.75 in hail · 37 eventsAn upper-level disturbance interacting with a nearly stationary frontal boundary draped across northern Illinois triggered several clusters of strong to severe thunderstorms during the afternoon of June 30th.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Illinois, August 4 to 5, 20083 injured · $2.6 million · EF1 · 105 eventsA powerful line of thunderstorms moved across northern Illinois during the evening hours of August 4th. Widespread and significant wind damage was reported along with several brief tornadoes on the leading edge of this line of storms.
• Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Illinois, August 17, 2025$289 million · 56 kt wind · 37 eventsA series of thunderstorms brought torrential rainfall and widespread flooding to much of the Chicago metro area, namely the south and west suburbs and up into the city of Chicago. Several Oswego District 308 schools received water and storm damage.
• Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Illinois, June 21, 20191 death · 2 injured · $202,000 · 65 kt wind · 12 eventsA severe weather outbreak occurred during the afternoon and early evening hours. An organized line of severe thunderstorms formed over the central Plains states during the night of the 20th. This bowing line of storms progressed southeast across the St.
• Tornadoes and Flooding in Illinois, June 21, 20112 injured · $2.5 million · EF1 · 80 eventsA powerful line of severe thunderstorms moved northeast across northern Illinois during the evening hours of June 21st producing damaging winds and widespread wind damage.
• Tornado and Flash Flooding in Illinois, June 23, 20101 injured · $1.7 million · EF1 · 92 eventsSevere thunderstorms moved across northern Illinois during the afternoon and evening hours of June 23rd producing widespread wind and tree damage as well as flash flooding.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Illinois, April 19 to 20, 2011$2.9 million · EF1 · 74 eventsA deepening area of low pressure tracked along the I-72 corridor during the evening of April 19th. A very sharp temperature gradient existed across central Illinois at the time, with readings ranging from the middle 40s north of the low track to around 80 degrees to the south.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, August 9, 20011 death · $40,000 · 1.75 in hail · 13 eventsA line of strong thunderstorms moved southeast from Wisconsin into Northern Illinois during the evening hours of Thursday, August 9th.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, July 20 to 21, 2003$89 million · 80 kt wind · 11 eventsSupercell thunderstorms developed in the evening hours and formed an organized cluster around Waterloo, Iowa.
• Tornado and Flash Flood in Illinois, September 3, 20181 death · $25,000 · EF0 · 18 eventsStrong to severe thunderstorms moved across portions of northern Illinois during the afternoon of September 3rd.
• Flash Flooding and Flooding in Illinois, May 14 to 15, 20201 death · $1,000 · 60 kt wind · 35 eventsScattered severe thunderstorms moved across parts of northern Illinois during the late evening of May 14th. Additional thunderstorms produced heavy rain and localized flash flooding during the late evening of May 14th into the morning of May 15th.
• Tornado and Flash Flood in Illinois, May 26 to 27, 20172 injured · $4.1 million · EF1 · 23 eventsSupercell thunderstorms developed in the vicinity of a warm front draped along the I-74 corridor during the afternoon and early evening of May 26th.
• Flash Flooding and Flood in Illinois, August 21 to 22, 2014$50 million · 58 kt wind · 8 eventsScattered thunderstorms produced heavy rain and severe winds across northeastern Illinois during the early evening hours. Additional thunderstorms developed overnight producing heavy rain that resulted in flooding.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, May 30, 20131 death · $6,000 · 1.25 in hail · 19 eventsStrong to severe thunderstorms moved across parts of northern Illinois during the afternoon and evening hours of May 30th.
• Lightning Strikes in Illinois, July 28, 20161 death · 2 injured · 3 eventsScattered thunderstorms went through northern Illinois during the afternoon and evening. Heavy rain brought some minor flooding, and there were some reports of funnel clouds.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Illinois, May 22, 20111 injured · $1.0 million · EF1 · 50 eventsSevere thunderstorms moved across many areas of northern Illinois during the afternoon and evening hours of May 22nd.
• Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Illinois, July 22 to 23, 2011$35 million · 60 kt wind · 8 eventsStrong to severe thunderstorms developed over parts of northern Illinois during the early morning hours of July 23rd producing torrential rainfall and flash flooding in some areas, including parts of Chicago.

Lightning everywhereEvery kind of event in Illinois

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.