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

Fayette 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.

Fayette County's plan, the Fayette County 2021 Hazard Mitigation Plan, expired April 25, 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 298 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 Fayette County. Thunderstorm wind is the most frequent; tornadoes account for the most recorded deaths and damage.

HazardDays with reports, 1996–2025Years with at least oneDeaths*Injuries*Property damage entered*
Thunderstorm wind7229/3000$136K
Hail3720/3001$1.6M
Tornado1513/30011$3.7M
Flooding2815/3000$637K
Winter storms5022/3000$0
High wind (no storm)44/3000$1K

* 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 wind72 days · 29 of 30 years
0481996200520152025
Hail37 days · 20 of 30 years
0241996200520152025
Flooding28 days · 15 of 30 years
0361996200520152025
Tornado15 days · 13 of 30 years
0241996200520152025
Winter storms50 days · 22 of 30 years
0361996200520152025
Show the numbers behind the charts
YearThunderstorm windHailTornadoFloodingWinter stormsHigh wind (no storm)
1996211200
1997110031
1998511020
1999411020
2000321040
2001320011
2002221320
2003120140
2004201210
2005320110
2006340020
2007000040
2008321251
2009330211
2010310510
2011731230
2012330000
2013101220
2014201020
2015110230
2016400000
2017200100
2018211100
2019100110
2020200000
2021101010
2022200030
2023120000
2024220000
2025313120

When in the year

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

JFMAMJJASOND
Thunderstorm wind2379241371321
Hail15125653
Tornado2142411
Flooding114892111
Winter storms191251211
High wind (no storm)1111

Tornado tracks, 1983–2026

24 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.

VandaliaRamseyShobonierSt ElmoBrownstownFarinaSt PeterBinghamApril 30, 2025 · EF2
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 13 communities, most often Shobonier, Vandalia and Carlyle Res North.
Extent
The strongest on record is the F2 of November 9, 1984 (11 injuries). Tornadoes rated F2/EF2 or stronger touched down on 6 separate days.
Previous occurrences
24 tornadoes on 19 days from 1983 to 2026. The busiest day was February 28, 2011, with 3. Weather Service survey, April 30, 2025: "Shortly before 7pm, the tornado formed just south of County Road 750 in Fayette County, southeast of Shobonier, damaging trees and structures at a farm. The tornado tracked northeastward through fields and pockets of trees before impacting farms along County Rd 1100. Shortly …"
Probability
At least one tornado in 13 of 30 years (43%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 11 injuries, $3.7M in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (10 of 24 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 Vandalia, Ramsey and Brownstown.
Extent
The highest gust on record is 70 knots (81 mph), estimated on November 15, 1989. 4 reports reached 65 knots (75 mph) or more.
Previous occurrences
128 reports on 90 days since 1980. May 29, 2019: "A significant downburst occurred over Vandalia Municipal Airport. One airplane was flipped over and sustained significant damage. Also, 4 hangers were destroyed and two more will likely be a total loss. Eight to nine power poles were …"
Probability
Reports in 29 of 30 years (97%) from 1996 to 2025; about 2.4 damaging-wind days a year.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $136K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (11 of 128 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 Vandalia, Ramsey and Farina.
Extent
Largest: 2.75 inches on May 25, 1989. 4 reports of 2 inches or more.
Previous occurrences
61 reports on 46 days since 1982.
Probability
Reports in 20 of 30 years (67%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 1 injury, $1.6M in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (2 of 61 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 Bingham, Farina and Lutz Spur.
Extent
The costliest entry is July 20, 2025, at $600K in property damage.
Previous occurrences
30 flood, flash-flood and heavy-rain reports since 1996. June 21, 2026: "Between 3 and 5 inches of rain fell in a short period of time. This led to water over several roadways including at least 2 vehicles that got stuck in flood waters."
Probability
Reports in 15 of 30 years (50%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $637K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (6 of 30 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 2 occasions. Zone records rarely give snow or ice totals; the full plan adds station data.
Previous occurrences
50 zone events from 1997 to 2025: 30 winter storm, 12 heavy snow, 4 winter weather, 2 ice storm, 2 sleet.
Probability
Events in 22 of 30 years (73%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $0 in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (0 of 50 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: 45 knots (52 mph).
Previous occurrences
4 zone events since 1997.
Probability
Events in 4 of 30 years (13%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $1K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (1 of 4 reports carries 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
Vandalia33111348
Ramsey221133
Shobonier661417
Farina473115
St Elmo841215
Brownstown93214
St Peter6410
Bingham1517
Dressor3227
Hagarstown415
Shafter44
Wrights Corner314
Pittsburg314
Jimtown123
Sefton213
Lutz Spur33
Bluff City123
Augsburg213

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