Massac County Hazard Profiles

Hazard	Days with reports, 1996–2025	Years with at least one	Deaths*	Injuries*	Property damage entered*
Thunderstorm wind	96	27/30	1	8	$2.6M
Hail	36	21/30	0	0	$12K
Tornado	15	12/30	4	58	$17.3M
Flooding	133	30/30	0	0	$4.1M
Winter storms	98	29/30	0	0	$13.0M
Lightning	6	6/30	0	4	$135K
High wind (no storm)	65	23/30	0	0	$5.3M

Year	Thunderstorm wind	Hail	Tornado	Flooding	Winter storms	Lightning	High wind (no storm)
1996	6	1	0	9	3	0	0
1997	5	0	0	6	2	0	1
1998	4	1	0	6	3	0	0
1999	5	0	1	4	2	0	1
2000	2	1	0	1	2	0	1
2001	3	1	0	4	2	0	0
2002	2	0	0	6	2	0	1
2003	1	2	2	6	4	0	0
2004	3	1	0	6	2	0	0
2005	2	2	1	3	1	0	1
2006	7	3	2	3	2	0	4
2007	1	2	0	3	1	1	0
2008	2	0	0	5	6	0	5
2009	2	1	0	1	2	0	5
2010	2	0	0	4	7	0	1
2011	8	4	2	12	5	1	3
2012	7	5	1	2	3	1	1
2013	6	1	1	10	3	0	0
2014	0	0	0	2	4	0	5
2015	0	0	0	5	5	1	2
2016	1	2	1	5	5	0	2
2017	3	0	1	2	2	0	5
2018	3	3	1	6	5	0	7
2019	5	1	0	7	5	0	6
2020	1	1	1	5	0	0	2
2021	0	1	0	1	4	0	1
2022	1	1	0	3	7	0	3
2023	8	1	1	2	3	1	6
2024	3	0	0	1	2	0	1
2025	3	1	0	3	4	1	1

	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Thunderstorm wind	8	4	11	13	17	16	11	4	5	5	1	1
Hail	1	1	4	7	8	8	2	3	1		1
Tornado	1	1	1	3	3		2		1		3
Flooding	21	22	20	15	17	12	7	5		1	1	12
Winter storms	38	29	4	1							5	21
Lightning						2	3	1
High wind (no storm)	7	14	14	9	2				2	1	7	9

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 8 communities, most often Metropolis, Hillerman and Joppa.
Extent: The strongest on record is the F4 of May 6, 2003 near Hillerman (1 death, 20 injuries). The deadliest was November 17, 2013 (3 deaths). Tornadoes rated F2/EF2 or stronger touched down on 5 separate days.
Previous occurrences: 18 tornadoes on 16 days from 1989 to 2023. The busiest day was May 6, 2003, with 3. Weather Service survey, April 3, 2018: "This tornado touched down just half a mile southwest of the Metropolis airport, then moved east along the northern city limit of Metropolis. Numerous buildings sustained shingle damage. Large tree limbs were blown down, and Bradford pear trees were snapped. A grain bin was …"
Probability: At least one tornado in 12 of 30 years (40%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses: 4 deaths, 58 injuries, $17.3M in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (14 of 18 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 14 communities, most often Metropolis, Round Knob and Brookport.
Extent: The highest gust on record is 87 knots (100 mph), estimated near Round Knob on April 5, 1999. 16 reports reached 65 knots (75 mph) or more.
Previous occurrences: 124 reports on 112 days since 1980. April 5, 1999: "A thunderstorm downburst with winds estimated near 100 MPH damaged roofs and metal barns. Scattered trees were down, along with some power lines. Most of the homes in the path of the downburst sustained only minor roof damage. The most …"
Probability: Reports in 27 of 30 years (90%) from 1996 to 2025; about 3.2 damaging-wind days a year.
Recorded losses: 1 death, 8 injuries, $2.6M in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (89 of 124 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 7 communities, most often Metropolis, Round Knob and Joppa.
Extent: Largest: 3 inches near Brookport on June 4, 2012. 1 report of 2 inches or more.
Previous occurrences: 51 reports on 43 days since 1982.
Probability: Reports in 21 of 30 years (70%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses: 0 deaths, 0 injuries, $12K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (2 of 51 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 7 communities, most often Brookport, Metropolis and Round Knob.
Extent: The costliest entry is May 1, 2011, at $2.0M in property damage.
Previous occurrences: 137 flood, flash-flood and heavy-rain reports since 1996. February 16, 2025: "Low-lying fields and woods in the flood plain near Paducah were underwater. Portions of Fort Massac State Park were flooded, closing some of the river access roads. The river crested at 43.2 feet at Paducah just above …"
Probability: Reports in 30 of 30 years (100%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses: 0 deaths, 0 injuries, $4.1M in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (31 of 137 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: 100 zone events from 1996 to 2026: 56 winter weather, 28 winter storm, 11 heavy snow, 5 ice storm.
Probability: Events in 29 of 30 years (97%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses: 0 deaths, 0 injuries, $13.0M in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (3 of 100 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 Metropolis, New Columbia and Midway.
Extent: 0 deaths and 4 injuries on record.
Previous occurrences: 6 damaging strikes since 2007.
Probability: Damaging strikes in 6 of 30 years (20%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses: 0 deaths, 4 injuries, $135K in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (4 of 6 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: 52 knots (60 mph).
Previous occurrences: 65 zone events since 1997.
Probability: Events in 23 of 30 years (77%) from 1996 to 2025.
Recorded losses: 0 deaths, 0 injuries, $5.3M in property damage as entered by the Weather Service (62 of 65 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.

Massac County, Illinois
Hazard Profiles

At a glance

How often, year by year

When in the year

Tornado tracks, 1989–2023

Hazard profiles

Tornado

Severe thunderstorm wind

Hail

Flooding (river, flash and heavy rain)

Winter storms and ice

Lightning

High wind (not from thunderstorms)

Not covered by this record

Previous occurrences by community

What this draft covers, and what the full update adds

Covered here

Added in the full update

Data notes

Nearest community named in the report	Thunderstorm wind	Hail	Flooding	Tornado	Lightning	All
Metropolis	48	19	26	8	2	103
Brookport	8	5	49	1		63
Round Knob	16	9	5	1	1	32
Joppa	8	5	3	1		17
New Columbia	8	5			2	15
Unionville	7		1			8
Midway	4		2		1	7
Mermet	4	3				7
Hillerman	2			3		5
Big Bay	1		4			5
Boaz	3			1		4
Choat	1			1		2
Grinnell	1	1				2
Many Areas	1					1
Samoth				1		1