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

Effingham 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.

Effingham County's plan, the Effingham County 2021 Hazard Mitigation Plan, expired March 8, 2026 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 414 storm reports for the county, every one traceable to a NOAA event ID.

At a glance

6 hazards appear in the federal storm record for Effingham 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 wind10229/3004$1.7M
Hail4521/3000$0
Tornado109/3025$1.7M
Flooding6123/3001$505K
Winter storms3518/3037$900K
High wind (no storm)97/3010$48K

* 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 wind102 days · 29 of 30 years
0481996200520152025
Hail45 days · 21 of 30 years
0361996200520152025
Flooding61 days · 23 of 30 years
0361996200520152025
Tornado10 days · 9 of 30 years
0121996200520152025
Winter storms35 days · 18 of 30 years
0361996200520152025
Show the numbers behind the charts
YearThunderstorm windHailTornadoFloodingWinter stormsHigh wind (no storm)
1996500142
1997110051
1998721100
1999311010
2000620220
2001320300
2002320310
2003360100
2004420410
2005420100
2006431000
2007300010
2008410231
2009000520
2010510302
2011540310
2012220101
2013301410
2014201120
2015210630
2016331001
2017300500
2018321201
2019120120
2020200300
2021201010
2022310420
2023710100
2024400010
2025542420

When in the year

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

JFMAMJJASOND
Thunderstorm wind33111212620101411
Hail141213623121
Tornado15211
Flooding24318198511
Winter storms145727
High wind (no storm)111321

Tornado tracks, 1983–2026

22 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.

EffinghamAltamontBeecher CityDieterichMasonWatsonEdgewoodShumwayJune 17, 2026 · EF3
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 10 communities, most often Altamont, Edgewood and Effingham.
Extent
The strongest on record is the EF3 of June 17, 2026 near Beecher City (2 injuries). The deadliest was May 1, 1983 (2 deaths). Tornadoes rated F2/EF2 or stronger touched down on 3 separate days.
Previous occurrences
22 tornadoes on 18 days from 1983 to 2026. The busiest day was February 19, 2026, with 3. Weather Service survey, June 17, 2026: "Originating in Beecher City within Effingham County, the tornado|first touched down along E State Highway 33 at 7:56PM CDT. The storm's initial|path spanned approximately one-quarter mile in width, resulting|in EF0 and EF1 level damage. This impact was characterized by …"
Probability
At least one tornado in 9 of 30 years (30%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
2 deaths, 5 injuries, $1.7M in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (10 of 22 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 17 communities, most often Effingham, Altamont and Dieterich.
Extent
The highest gust on record is 70 knots (81 mph), estimated near Altamont on February 5, 2008. 5 reports reached 65 knots (75 mph) or more.
Previous occurrences
190 reports on 122 days since 1980. April 2, 2025: "Tree and structure damage occurred along I-70 near Montrose."
Probability
Reports in 29 of 30 years (97%) from 1996 to 2025; about 3.4 damaging-wind days a year.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 4 injuries, $1.7M in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (59 of 190 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 13 communities, most often Effingham, Altamont and Dieterich.
Extent
Largest: 2.5 inches near Dieterich on February 19, 2026. 2 reports of 2 inches or more.
Previous occurrences
78 reports on 52 days since 1982.
Probability
Reports in 21 of 30 years (70%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $0 in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (0 of 78 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 14 communities, most often Beecher City, Altamont and Effingham.
Extent
The costliest entry is December 27, 2015, at $300K in property damage.
Previous occurrences
78 flood, flash-flood and heavy-rain reports since 1996. June 21, 2026: "East 700th Avenue and East 500th Avenue east of North 2300th Street were closed due to water flowing across the roadway."
Probability
Reports in 23 of 30 years (77%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 1 injury, $505K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (5 of 78 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 3 occasions. Zone records rarely give snow or ice totals; the full plan adds station data.
Previous occurrences
36 zone events from 1996 to 2026: 17 heavy snow, 10 winter storm, 5 winter weather, 3 ice storm, 1 sleet.
Probability
Events in 18 of 30 years (60%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
3 deaths, 7 injuries, $900K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (1 of 36 reports carries 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: 52 knots (60 mph).
Previous occurrences
10 zone events since 1996.
Probability
Events in 7 of 30 years (23%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
1 death, 0 injuries, $48K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (4 of 10 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 windHailFloodingTornadoAll
Effingham42268278
Altamont381512570
Dieterich15113130
Beecher City7318129
Mason1142118
Watson131216
Shumway62513
Edgewood45312
Teutopolis729
Moccasin21418
Funkhouser5218
Effingham Co Mem Arp77
Montrose516
Green Creek246
Elliottstown112
Dexter112
Winterrowd22
Evers112

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