Hardin County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Hardin County: 0.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jan 26, 2009Winter Storm, Hardin$8.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A prolonged, major winter storm dumped 6 to 10 inches of sleet and snow north of a line from East Cape Girardeau through Vienna to the confluence of the Wabash and Ohio Rivers. This resulted in at least two dozen roof collapses and very difficult driving conditions. South of that line, at least one inch of ice accumulated, with locally around 1.5 inches of ice. This resulted in a federal disaster declaration due to widespread tree damage and power outages. Virtually 100 percent of Massac County in the southern tip of the state was without power. The vast majority of nearby Alexander, Pulaski, Pope, Hardin, and southern Johnson Counties lost power. A major 161,000 volt transmission…

2. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Hardin$2.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Frequent wind gusts from 60 to nearly 70 mph caused considerable damage in southern Illinois. The low pressure center that was the remnant of Hurricane Ike raced northeast at 40 to 50 mph across Missouri and Illinois. The center passed between Carbondale and St. Louis on its way toward the northeastern states. The rapid speed of the low pressure system contributed to this high wind event.||Considerable tree damage occurred. Trees were uprooted, and very large limbs were broken. Some trees fell on homes, outbuildings, and vehicles. Fewer than a dozen homes in each county were damaged by falling trees. Others fell on commercial and public buildings. Numerous trees or limbs fell on…

3. Feb 11, 2008Winter Storm, Hardin$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Low pressure developed over the southern Plains, spreading widespread heavy precipitation across southern Illinois. At the same time, high pressure over the upper Ohio Valley produced a cold easterly wind flow. The result was a crippling ice storm. Around one inch of ice caused extensive damage across far southern Illinois, along and south of a line from Carbondale and Marion to Harrisburg and Carmi. Many of those same areas received three to six inches of sleet and snow. The most destructive icing occurred in an east to west band across Union, Johnson, Massac, and Pope Counties. The state designated most counties in southern Illinois as a disaster area. Numerous trees and power…

4. May 1, 2011Flood$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flooding continued on the Ohio River from April. Based on data from river gages in nearby Pope and Gallatin Counties, the flood crest of 2011 was two to three feet higher than the 1997 flood. This was still 6 to 9 feet lower than the record crest set in 1937. The activation of the New Madrid Floodway by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spared Hardin County from an even higher crest that would have inundated even larger areas of the county. With the detonation of the Mississippi River levee at Birds Point, Missouri, the Ohio River stopped rising or rose much more slowly. At least a few riverfront homes in Elizabethtown were flooded up to two feet deep. A few homes in…

5. May 26, 2004Thunderstorm Wind$80,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The first round of severe thunderstorms to affect southern Illinois occurred during the late morning hours. Most of the severe weather was in the form of large hail during this episode. The first storm became severe just south of Mount Vernon and tracked east along the Hamilton/Wayne County border. Other severe storms developed across the Marion and Herrin areas, producing copious amounts of large hail in Herrin. There was wind damage in Carterville and the Cambria area of Williamson County, where trees and power lines were down. Roads were blocked by fallen trees in Carterville and just south of Cambria. Five to six houses were struck by falling trees, mainly on the west side of…

6. Jan 5, 2005Flood, Hardin$70,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Moderate to major flooding of the Ohio River and some of its tributaries occurred. A state disaster declaration included Massac, Pope, Hardin, and Gallatin Counties. Floodfighting activities included the construction of temporary sandbag levees. Isolated evacuations of some lowland residents were conducted. In the city of Metropolis in Massac County, several streets were closed, a few residences were evacuated, and a casino riverboat was closed for several days. The closure of the casino had a major impact on the local economy. Flooding of the casino's parking lot and entrance prompted the closure. There was very little property damage to the casino itself. In Gallatin County, the…

7. Mar 1, 2018Flood$70,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Moderate flooding continued on the Ohio River from late February. This flood crest was about a foot lower than the March, 1997 flood. Isolated evacuations of some lowland residents were conducted. Cabins at a campground at Saline Landing were flooded, and Front Street was flooded in Elizabethtown. There was sandbagging around homes in Elizabethtown and Cave-In-Rock. Several mobile homes and trailers in Hardin County were pulled away from the water. At Rosiclare, Illinois Route 146 was closed leading into town, and water was up about 5 feet along the floodgates. The ferry connecting Cave-In-Rock with the state of Kentucky was shut down because of flooded roads on the Kentucky side.

8. Mar 18, 2008Flood$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   In Rosiclare, several basements were flooded. Sandbagging was done around a few structures, including the only grocery store in the county. Some secondary roads were flooded and closed.

9. May 31, 2008Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A few dozen trees were blown down. Roads in the Cave-In-Rock State Park were blocked. At the intersection of Highways 146 and 1, a country store was heavily damaged. The front porch was destroyed, and the roof was damaged by a falling tree. The roof was blown off the porch of a nearby house. On Highway 1, a carport was blown away.

10. Jun 14, 1998Hail$40,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Large hail fell, measuring up to 2 inches in diameter at Elizabethtown. The hail shredded some gardens and likely dented vehicles.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

107°FJun 29, 2012

All-time low

−20°FJan 17, 1977

Warmest night

85°FJul 26, 2015

Coldest day

1°FDec 22, 1989

Wettest day

7.05 inDec 28, 2015

Snowiest day

10.5 inFeb 25, 1993

Hottest year

2024mean 61.5°F

Coldest year

2003mean 54.8°F

Wettest year

200661.91 in

Driest year

198034.39 in

Snowiest season

31.6 in1977-78

Station Dixon Springs Agric Center (USC00112353), 527 ft elevation, 20.6 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1967 to September 29, 2026; 88.7% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

Neighbouring counties

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00112353.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.