Pulaski County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Pulaski County: 1.
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, Pulaski$10.0 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. May 6, 2003Tornado$3.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This violent tornado began near Grand Chain and reached its maximum intensity of 210 MPH as it neared the Massac County line. A 53-year-old man was killed when the chimney of his house collapsed on him. The man, who was in his basement, was protecting his son by lying on top of him when the collapse occurred. The son received broken bones. Their house was impaled by some nearby large trees that prevented it from being swept farther away. Along the Pulaski County portion of the tornado path, six single family homes and ten mobile homes were destroyed. Another ten single family homes and a mobile home had major damage. A few dozen other residences received some type of minor damage.…

3. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Pulaski$3.0 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…

4. Mar 18, 2008Flood$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Ullin was especially hard hit. At least 50 homes in Ullin were flooded, along with the town's pump station. The town's post office and grocery store were flooded. A car was submerged up to the steering wheel. Floodwaters rushed over a bridge in Ullin. Two to three bridges were washed out. Dozens of residents of an assisted living facility were evacuated as water entered the facility. The facility sustained major damage. Flooding of the Cache River closed Shawnee College Road for several days. Most of the county back roads were closed, and other areas of the county outside Ullin were evacuated. Six apartments and two houses were flooded in Mound City. Several homes in Karnak were…

5. Mar 1, 1997Flood, Pulaski$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A massive flood crest moved down the Ohio River during the first few weeks of March. Around 10 inches of rain fell in the middle Ohio River Valley from the Louisville area to Cincinnati within a one to three day period. This resulted in the worst river flood in about 30 years along the Illinois shore, and one of the five worst on record. Riverfront neighborhoods in Metropolis were evacuated, and the riverboat casino was briefly shut down. Smaller communities protected by levies or floodwalls, such as Brookport and Old Shawneetown, fared better. A mechanical problem with a valve in Brookport allowed Ohio River water to back into the town, causing tens of thousands of dollars in…

6. Feb 11, 2008Winter Storm, Pulaski$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 1, 2011Flood$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flooding continued on the Ohio River from April. At the Grand Chain river gage, the flood crest of 62.20 feet on the evening of May 2 came within two feet of the record of 64.00 feet set in 1937. The activation of the New Madrid Floodway by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spared Pulaski County from an even higher crest. With the detonation of the Mississippi River levee at Birds Point, Missouri, the Ohio River dropped suddenly at Grand Chain.

8. Jul 19, 2023Flash Flood$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flash flooding struck parts of far southern Illinois. The hardest hit counties were Alexander, Pulaski, and Massac in the southern tip of Illinois. Widespread flash flooding of roads made travel difficult or impossible for several hours during the peak of the heaviest rainfall in the morning. There was a bridge that was washed out in Massac County on a secondary road. Among the most impactful road closures was Interstate 57 in Pulaski County. Illinois Route 3 was closed to most vehicles except large trucks at the underpass on the north side of Cairo. Several water rescues were conducted for people stranded in vehicles in Massac, Pulaski, and Alexander Counties. A number of…

9. Jan 29, 2008Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous trees were blown down across the county, especially from Ullin north. The roof was partially blown off a high school just east of Ullin. In Mound City, trees penetrated the roofs of two homes. A roof was damaged in Olmsted. Several vehicles were damaged by falling trees around the county.

10. Jun 16, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Part of the roof was blown off a school gymnasium, with some damage to at least one wall. Rainwater further damaged the gym floor. The roof of a bus garage behind the gym was damaged. Large tree limbs were down, and playground equipment was blown around. A large metal light pole was blown down.

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

108°FSep 6, 1925

All-time low

−8°F2 times, most recently Dec 24, 2022

Warmest night

81°F3 times, most recently Jul 23, 2017

Coldest day

3°FJan 7, 2014

Wettest day

7.07 inMar 31, 1938

Snowiest day

10.0 in2 times, most recently Mar 5, 2015

Hottest year

2024mean 61.0°F

Coldest year

1996mean 55.6°F

Wettest year

201170.58 in

Driest year

201230.26 in

Snowiest season

22.2 in1993-94

Station Olmsted L&d (USC00113580), 375 ft elevation, 3.7 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1923 to October 27, 2026; 88.8% 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 USC00113580.
• 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.