← Hazard Plan Desk

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

Henderson 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.

Henderson County's plan, the Henderson County 2020 Hazard Mitigation Plan, expired December 21, 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 354 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 Henderson County. Winter storms are the most frequent; hail accounts for the most recorded deaths and damage.

HazardDays with reports, 1996–2025Years with at least oneDeaths*Injuries*Property damage entered*
Thunderstorm wind5128/3001$454K
Hail3520/3000$10.3M
Tornado66/3000$8.3M
Flooding5521/3000$2.4M
Winter storms11827/3000$16K
High wind (no storm)86/3000$100K

* 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 wind51 days · 28 of 30 years
0241996200520152025
Hail35 days · 20 of 30 years
0241996200520152025
Flooding55 days · 21 of 30 years
05101996200520152025
Tornado6 days · 6 of 30 years
0121996200520152025
Winter storms118 days · 27 of 30 years
07141996200520152025
Show the numbers behind the charts
YearThunderstorm windHailTornadoFloodingWinter stormsHigh wind (no storm)
1996221021
1997200272
1998101131
1999311070
20003102120
2001110522
2002130420
2003230220
2004110200
2005201120
2006041050
20072101130
20083203121
2009330230
2010220580
2011120240
2012000020
2013110550
2014110160
2015411030
2016100100
2017120020
2018100220
2019210930
2020220120
2021100021
2022100030
2023110300
2024300130
2025300010

When in the year

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

JFMAMJJASOND
Thunderstorm wind5611797312
Hail13995251
Tornado321
Flooding211313132335
Winter storms3625931539
High wind (no storm)121211

Tornado tracks, 1984–2015

12 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.

OquawkaStronghurstBiggsvilleGladstoneLomaxBald BluffRozettaBig River St ForestJuly 16, 2015 · 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 5 communities, most often Bald Bluff, Terre Haute and Stronghurst.
Extent
The strongest on record is the F1 of April 19, 1996 near Bald Bluff.
Previous occurrences
12 tornadoes on 8 days from 1984 to 2015. The busiest day was April 29, 1984, with 4. Weather Service survey, July 16, 2015: "An EF1 tornado with maximum winds estimated at 95 mph touched down 1.1 miles east of Lone Tree, IL. The tornado traveled 0.84 miles and lifted 1.8 miles east northeast of Lone Tree. The maximum path width was about 100 yards. Along the path, trees and outbuildings were destroyed."
Probability
At least one tornado in 6 of 30 years (20%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $8.3M in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (9 of 12 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 Oquawka, Stronghurst and Biggsville.
Extent
The highest gust on record is 90 knots (104 mph), estimated near Media on April 18, 1996. 18 reports reached 65 knots (75 mph) or more.
Previous occurrences
86 reports on 61 days since 1980. June 17, 2026: "A public report that several large trees were uprooted, some over 2 ft in diameter. Likely 80 mph or higher wind gusts based on degree of damage."
Probability
Reports in 28 of 30 years (93%) from 1996 to 2025; about 1.7 damaging-wind days a year.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 1 injury, $454K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (14 of 86 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 17 communities, most often Biggsville, Stronghurst and Oquawka.
Extent
Largest: 4.5 inches near Terre Haute on May 13, 1995. 3 reports of 2 inches or more.
Previous occurrences
63 reports on 43 days since 1982.
Probability
Reports in 20 of 30 years (67%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $10.3M in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (7 of 63 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 Oquawka, Big River St Forest and Lomax.
Extent
The costliest entry is May 21, 2003, at $1.0M in property damage.
Previous occurrences
62 flood, flash-flood and heavy-rain reports since 1997. July 2, 2024: "The Mississippi River at Gladstone rose above its major flood stage of 14 feet around 5 PM on July 2nd and crested at 16.32 feet on July 12th. The river fell back below major flood stage around 7 PM on July 22nd."
Probability
Reports in 21 of 30 years (70%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $2.4M in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (7 of 62 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 11 occasions. Zone records rarely give snow or ice totals; the full plan adds station data.
Previous occurrences
120 zone events from 1996 to 2026: 47 winter storm, 47 winter weather, 11 heavy snow, 11 ice storm, 4 blizzard.
Probability
Events in 27 of 30 years (90%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $16K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (4 of 120 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
8 zone events since 1996.
Probability
Events in 6 of 30 years (20%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses
0 deaths, 0 injuries, $100K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (1 of 8 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
Oquawka15812136
Stronghurst1385127
Biggsville98118
Lomax36716
Gladstone45615
Big River St Forest21811
Bald Bluff322310
Rozetta7119
Terre Haute2327
Carman257
Raritan426
Media2215
Gulfport1225
Carthage Lake134
Shokokon213
Hopper213
Lone Tree112
Delabar State Park22

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