Johnson County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Johnson 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.

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. May 23, 2000Hail$7.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A supercell thunderstorm produced baseball size hail from northwest to southeast across parts of Johnson County. The total damage costs for dented cars, smashed windows, and damaged roofs in Vienna was estimated near 7 million dollars. The city's two car dealers sustained about 800,000 dollars damage to a total of 280 cars. At the Johnson County courthouse, the hail broke about 20 windows on the north side of the building and extensively damaged the roof. A funeral home reported hail wrecked the garage, siding, and windows of the funeral home, along with three personal vehicles, for a total damage estimate of 50,000 dollars. Fellowship Baptist Church sustained 15,000 dollars…

2. Apr 28, 2002Tornado$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado entered Johnson County near Cypress and was on the ground for only a few miles in Johnson County. Cypress was impacted directly, where about 50 structures were damaged, including a school. The school lost portions of upper story walls and the roof. Two trailers were destroyed.

3. Mar 18, 2008Flood$1.6 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flooding occurred in Vienna, where numerous businesses were flooded. A car dealership and another business had 2 to 3 feet of water inside. Local residents reported that flooding in Vienna was the worst since 1973. A number of residences around the county were flooded. Route 37 south of West Vienna was impassable, with water up to the headlights of vehicles. Flooding of the Cache River closed a large section of Illinois Route 37 for days. Railroad tracks were washed out near Belknap. Due to damaged tracks, a train derailed north of Vienna. The engineer and conductor were injured when two locomotives tipped on their side. Sections of U.S. Highway 45 and Route 37 were damaged…

4. Mar 15, 2025Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF-2 Tornado began on Old Cypress Road west of Vienna, moved northeast, crossing Interstate 24 just north of exit 14, and dissipated near Belville Road east of Ozark. The tornado damaged trees and power poles along its path, but also destroyed several barns and did significant roof damage to several homes. The most significant damage occurred just east of Interstate 24 over to Dixon Lane just east of U.S. 45. The estimated peak wind was 115 mph.

5. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Johnson$1.0 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…

6. Feb 11, 2008Winter Storm, Johnson$1.0 million
   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…

7. May 26, 2024Tornado$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF-3 tornado began north of Goreville, IL, where a security camera at a house on Newton Lane captured the tornado's formation. Crossing I-57, the tornado snapped large tree limbs and damaged an outbuilding on Pulley's Mill Ln. The tornado was again filmed crossing I-24 northeast of Goreville. Along IL-37, the tornado did roof damage to two homes and snapped a few wooden power poles. Nearby trees suffered extreme damage, with debarking noted on a few trees near the intersection of IL-37 and Orchared Ln, along with numerous large trees snapped. To the east on Orchard Ln, a home suffered a direct hit by the tornado, with the roof being removed and most of the exterior walls…

8. Oct 18, 2004Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado turned east-southeast from Williamson County back into Johnson County. The bulk of the damage and injuries occurred in a neighborhood on the southern half of the Lake of Egypt. The two injured persons were mobile home residents whose homes were demolished. One of the mobile homes was swept clean off its foundation. The demolished home was deposited 50 to 100 yards away. The 32-year-old male occupant of the mobile home, who was ejected from the home, received numerous bruises and cuts. A female resident of another mobile home was injured. In total, three mobile homes were destroyed, and dozens of mobile homes, barns, and sheds were damaged. Rescue efforts were hampered…

9. Jan 29, 2008Thunderstorm Wind$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An old house was blown completely off its foundation and destroyed. A boat, camper, and large pole barn were destroyed. Roofs were damaged nearby, and trees were blown down in the area.

10. Jan 26, 2009Winter Storm, Johnson$150,000
    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…

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, 11.6 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.