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Hazard Mitigation Plan update · Section 4 draft · prepared October 3, 2026

Bureau County, Illinois
Hazard Profiles

Draft. Built from public National Weather Service storm records (NOAA Storm Events, 1980 to June 2026). Not an adopted plan and not reviewed by FEMA.

Bureau County's plan, the Bureau County 2020 Hazard Mitigation Plan, expired October 26, 2025 in FEMA's plan-status data, with no update recorded as in progress on October 3, 2026. This chapter drafts the hazard-profile section of the update from 618 storm reports for the county, every one traceable to a NOAA event ID.

At a glance

7 hazards appear in the federal storm record for Bureau County. Winter storms are the most frequent, and also the source of the most recorded deaths and damage.

HazardDays with reports, 1996–2025Years with at least oneDeaths*Injuries*Property damage entered*
Thunderstorm wind9430/3000$2.1M
Hail6625/3000$2.2M
Tornado2015/3000$3.8M
Flooding3019/3000$485K
Winter storms13429/3010$22K
Lightning55/3001$86K
High wind (no storm)159/3000$381K

* All years on record (tornado, wind and hail from the 1980s; other hazards from 1996). Dollars are as entered, not adjusted for inflation.

How often, year by year

Days with at least one report, 1996 to 2025. Each panel has its own scale. Hover a bar for the year.

Thunderstorm wind94 days · 30 of 30 years
0481996200520152025
Hail66 days · 25 of 30 years
0361996200520152025
Flooding30 days · 19 of 30 years
0241996200520152025
Tornado20 days · 15 of 30 years
0241996200520152025
Winter storms134 days · 29 of 30 years
08161996200520152025
Lightning5 days · 5 of 30 years
0121996200520152025
Show the numbers behind the charts
YearThunderstorm windHailTornadoFloodingWinter stormsLightningHigh wind (no storm)
19961010201
19973121703
19984112301
19993200710
200042111310
20013202402
20022002200
20033511213
20044430101
20055400200
20064402410
200732001300
200876011502
20093010400
201052011000
20114501200
20121201400
20132010500
20141101600
20153410500
20162111101
20174520200
20183101300
20192104501
20206202200
20211010500
20222202210
20233520000
20242111200
20254113100

When in the year

Days with reports by month, 1996 to 2025. Darker means more days.

JFMAMJJASOND
Thunderstorm wind49202820553
Hail12512151761331
Tornado1246421
Flooding31778121
Winter storms39251241548
Lightning11111
High wind (no storm)4132122

Tornado tracks, 1982–2026

36 tornadoes. Lines run from touchdown to lift within the county; dots are tornadoes recorded at a single point. Hover a track for its date and rating.

PrincetonLa MoilleWalnutDepueSpring VlyWyanetManliusTiskilwaApril 17, 2026 · EF1
F0/EF0F1/EF1F2/EF2F3 or strongerF5Unrated

County outline from the Census Bureau (simplified); community labels sit at the average location of reports naming them.

Hazard profiles

Each profile answers FEMA's questions for hazard identification: what it is, where, how bad (extent), what has happened, and how likely it is to happen again.

Tornado

Description
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground, rated after the fact on the Fujita scale (through January 2007) or the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF0 to EF5, by the damage it leaves.
Location
Countywide; tornado reports name 20 communities, most often Neponset, Van Orin and Manlius.
Extent
The strongest on record is the F3 of May 9, 1995 near Neponset. Tornadoes rated F2/EF2 or stronger touched down on 1 separate day.
Previous occurrences
36 tornadoes on 25 days from 1982 to 2026. The busiest day was June 22, 2016, with 3. Weather Service survey, April 17, 2026: "The EF1 tornado with winds up to 95 mph appeared to start just south of County Road 2200 N in Bureau County, where a barn structure sustained roofing damage. The tornado then moved northeastward into LaSalle County, producing damage to trees and farm outbuildings. Several wooden …"
Probability
At least one tornado in 15 of 30 years (50%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $3.8M in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (18 of 36 reports carry a dollar figure).

Severe thunderstorm wind

Description
Straight-line winds from thunderstorms, including downbursts, measured or estimated at 58 mph (50 knots) or more.
Location
Countywide; reports name 33 communities, most often Princeton, Walnut and La Moille.
Extent
The highest gust on record is 103 knots (119 mph), estimated near New Bedford on March 31, 2023. 40 reports reached 65 knots (75 mph) or more.
Previous occurrences
220 reports on 110 days since 1980. March 31, 2023: "This survey was completed by the NWS in Chicago. Two power poles were snapped at this location."
Probability
Reports in 30 of 30 years (100%) from 1996 to 2025; about 3.1 damaging-wind days a year.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $2.1M in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (53 of 220 reports carry a dollar figure).

Hail

Description
Ice stones from thunderstorm updrafts; reported at 3/4 inch and larger in this record.
Location
Countywide; reports name 32 communities, most often Princeton, Walnut and La Moille.
Extent
Largest: 4 inches near La Moille on July 13, 2004. 13 reports of 2 inches or more.
Previous occurrences
154 reports on 74 days since 1980.
Probability
Reports in 25 of 30 years (83%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $2.2M in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (15 of 154 reports carry a dollar figure).

Flooding (river, flash and heavy rain)

Description
River flooding, and flash flooding when heavy rain overwhelms streets, ditches and small streams.
Location
Countywide; reports name 12 communities, most often Princeton, Providence and La Moille.
Extent
The costliest entry is September 13, 2008, at $250K in property damage.
Previous occurrences
35 flood, flash-flood and heavy-rain reports since 1997. July 30, 2025: "A trained spotter reported flash flooding in low-lying areas and alley ways within the town of Ladd. The spotter measured 2.5 inches of rainfall since 630 PM this evening."
Probability
Reports in 19 of 30 years (63%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $485K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (5 of 35 reports carry a dollar figure).

Winter storms and ice

Description
Heavy snow, blizzards, ice storms, sleet and lesser winter weather, recorded by forecast zone rather than by point.
Location
Countywide (forecast-zone records).
Extent
Ice storms on 10 occasions. Zone records rarely give snow or ice totals; the full plan adds station data.
Previous occurrences
138 zone events from 1996 to 2026: 54 winter storm, 53 winter weather, 15 heavy snow, 10 ice storm, 6 blizzard.
Probability
Events in 29 of 30 years (97%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
1 death, 0 injuries, $22K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (4 of 138 reports carry a dollar figure).

Lightning

Description
Cloud-to-ground strikes that injure people, start fires or damage property. Only damaging strikes are recorded.
Location
Countywide; reports name 4 communities, most often Princeton, Depue and Bureau.
Extent
0 deaths and 1 injury on record.
Previous occurrences
5 damaging strikes since 1999.
Probability
Damaging strikes in 5 of 30 years (17%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 1 injury, $86K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (3 of 5 reports carry a dollar figure).

High wind (not from thunderstorms)

Description
Strong winds from large storm systems rather than thunderstorms, recorded by forecast zone.
Location
Countywide (forecast-zone records).
Extent
Highest: 54 knots (62 mph).
Previous occurrences
15 zone events since 1996.
Probability
Events in 9 of 30 years (30%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $381K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (5 of 15 reports carry a dollar figure).

Not covered by this record

Extreme heat, extreme cold, drought, earthquake and dam failure are not in the storm archive this chapter draws on. The full chapter profiles them from NOAA climate records, the U.S. Drought Monitor, USGS shaking maps and the state dam inventory, and the planning team decides which belong in the plan.

Previous occurrences by community

FEMA asks for hazard history for each participating jurisdiction. These are the communities the Weather Service names most often as the nearest place to a report.

Nearest community named in the reportThunderstorm windHailFloodingTornadoLightningAll
Princeton4826121289
Walnut121325
La Moille1110324
Depue1162120
Spring Vly98219
Neponset541515
Manlius93315
Wyanet77115
Tiskilwa67114
Sheffield741113
Van Orin44513
Cherry551213
New Bedford74213
Ohio82111
Bureau361111
Malden64111
Buda5510
Ladd351110

What this draft covers, and what the full update adds

Covered here

  • Type, location and extent of each recorded hazard (FEMA review element B1).
  • Previous occurrences and probability of future events, countywide and by community (element B2).

Added in the full update

  • Vulnerability and impacts on people, buildings and critical facilities from county parcel and building data (element B3).
  • National Flood Insurance Program repetitive-loss properties from FEMA (element B4).
  • Planning-team meetings, public input, capability review, the mitigation strategy and adoption.

Data notes