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

Champaign 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.

Champaign County's plan, the Champaign County 2020 Hazard Mitigation Plan, expired December 8, 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 903 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 Champaign County. Thunderstorm wind is the most frequent; winter storms account for the most recorded deaths and damage.

HazardDays with reports, 1996–2025Years with at least oneDeaths*Injuries*Property damage entered*
Thunderstorm wind16030/3009$7.6M
Hail10429/3000$5.8M
Tornado3218/30134$74.5M
Flooding5621/3000$48.6M
Winter storms6224/30755$50K
Lightning126/3001$628K
High wind (no storm)3018/3006$88K

* 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 wind160 days · 30 of 30 years
05101996200520152025
Hail104 days · 29 of 30 years
0481996200520152025
Flooding56 days · 21 of 30 years
0361996200520152025
Tornado32 days · 18 of 30 years
0241996200520152025
Winter storms62 days · 24 of 30 years
0361996200520152025
Lightning12 days · 6 of 30 years
0241996200520152025
Show the numbers behind the charts
YearThunderstorm windHailTornadoFloodingWinter stormsLightningHigh wind (no storm)
19964221402
19974200313
19987323101
19994320300
20006420200
20016321000
20023106201
20035522101
20042433002
20056301100
20064622200
20074500400
20086404412
20097204131
20103205620
20116410232
20124810002
20137512220
20144103200
20157515400
20164211302
20176503000
20184322201
20199310202
20208302001
20217020100
20224301301
20233720002
20248403303
20258232401

When in the year

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

JFMAMJJASOND
Thunderstorm wind11715294129215443
Hail21123321367631
Tornado12310921112
Flooding153161010731
Winter storms20167514
Lightning2114211
High wind (no storm)1454322261

Tornado tracks, 1981–2026

62 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.

ChampaignMahometUrbanaTolonoRantoulPhiloFisherSidneyApril 19, 1996 · F3 · 1 deaths
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 30 communities, most often Champaign, Tolono and Urbana.
Extent
The strongest on record is the F3 of April 19, 1996 near Ogden (1 death, 13 injuries). Tornadoes rated F2/EF2 or stronger touched down on 5 separate days.
Previous occurrences
62 tornadoes on 42 days from 1981 to 2026. The busiest day was May 31, 2006, with 4. Weather Service survey, June 11, 2026: "A tornado touched down along County Road 2000 East just south of the Champaign-Ford County line about 2 miles east-northeast of Ludlow at 7:26pm CDT. The tornado tracked east-northeastward, peeling part of the roof off an outbuilding and damaging some solar panels before …"
Probability
At least one tornado in 18 of 30 years (60%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
1 death, 34 injuries, $74.5M in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (22 of 62 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 46 communities, most often Champaign, Mahomet and Urbana.
Extent
The highest gust on record is 78 knots (90 mph), estimated near Ludlow on July 13, 2004. 24 reports reached 65 knots (75 mph) or more.
Previous occurrences
427 reports on 190 days since 1980. July 13, 2004: "A line of severe thunderstorms moved southeast across the eastern half of Champaign County. In Ludlow, at least 40 homes sustained minor to major damage as well as several businesses. Three large grain bins were destroyed and numerous …"
Probability
Reports in 30 of 30 years (100%) from 1996 to 2025; about 5.3 damaging-wind days a year.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 9 injuries, $7.6M in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (134 of 427 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 Champaign, Mahomet and Philo.
Extent
Largest: 4.25 inches near Philo on May 30, 2008. 12 reports of 2 inches or more.
Previous occurrences
215 reports on 118 days since 1981.
Probability
Reports in 29 of 30 years (97%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $5.8M in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (3 of 215 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 24 communities, most often Champaign, Mahomet and Tolono.
Extent
The costliest entry is July 12, 2014, at $47.0M in property damage.
Previous occurrences
72 flood, flash-flood and heavy-rain reports since 1996. June 16, 2025: "Locally heavy rainfall of 3 to 4.5 inches resulted in several roads becoming flooded and impassable on the west side of Champaign. Flooded roads included Interstate Drive, Mattis Avenue, Country Fair Drive, and …"
Probability
Reports in 21 of 30 years (70%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $48.6M in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (8 of 72 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 5 occasions. Zone records rarely give snow or ice totals; the full plan adds station data.
Previous occurrences
64 zone events from 1996 to 2026: 22 heavy snow, 19 winter storm, 15 winter weather, 5 ice storm, 3 blizzard.
Probability
Events in 24 of 30 years (80%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
7 deaths, 55 injuries, $50K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (1 of 64 reports carries 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 11 communities, most often Ogden, Mahomet and Pesotum.
Extent
0 deaths and 1 injury on record.
Previous occurrences
12 damaging strikes since 1997.
Probability
Damaging strikes in 6 of 30 years (20%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 1 injury, $628K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (12 of 12 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: 61 knots (70 mph).
Previous occurrences
50 zone events since 1996.
Probability
Events in 18 of 30 years (60%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 6 injuries, $88K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (11 of 50 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
Champaign6339961118
Mahomet413462184
Urbana31103347
Tolono2365438
Rantoul1894132
Philo14123130
Fisher11122126
Sidney1381325
Willard Fld Cha181120
St Joseph811120
Ivesdale5102219
Savoy1232118
Ogden862218
Seymour962118
Staley11131117
Broadlands733215
Pesotum941115
Thomasboro6312113

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