Saline County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Saline County: 8.
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. Mar 18, 2008Flood$16.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Over 16 million dollars in damage occurred to homes and businesses in Harrisburg due to disastrous flooding. Five homes and one business were considered destroyed. At least 30 homes and 44 businesses had water over the first floor. All three of the supermarkets in the city were closed due to flooding. Eighteen homes and three businesses reported water in the basement, though many others likely did not report basement flooding. About 300 residents of the city were evacuated, many to a Red Cross shelter. Emergency personnel evacuated at least one family from flooded areas outside the city. Many streets were closed in Harrisburg. U.S. Highway 45 was closed for days. Significant…

2. May 8, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$4.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread wind damage occurred across the county. The pockets of greatest damage were in northern parts of the county including Galatia and Raleigh, as well as southwestern parts around Carrier Mills. Harrisburg itself escaped the worst of the damage, and power outages there only affected several hundred customers. Winds were estimated near 90 mph in the Harco area. Extensive power outages lasted three to six days in the hardest hit areas, including Galatia. The power losses rendered pumping stations that supply water inoperable. Many structures were damaged. Every street in Galatia had trees down across streets, houses, vehicles, or outbuildings. Two homes in Galatia received…

3. Apr 28, 2002Tornado$3.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado struck Galatia directly, damaging about 55 structures and destroying several. Peak winds were estimated between 120 and 130 MPH. The roof of a car wash was blown off, and then the walls collapsed on a police cruiser that was sheltered there. A coal mine sustained a quarter million dollars in damage. Two persons were injured in an overturned trailer. Two brick homes lost their roofs and some walls.

4. Feb 29, 2012Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down about a mile north of Carrier Mills, then moved east-northeast through Harrisburg. The violent tornado produced a swath of devastation in south and southeast parts of Harrisburg. In Harrisburg, over 200 homes and about 25 businesses were heavily damaged or destroyed. The damage was in residential neighborhoods in the far south and southeast sections of Harrisburg. The commercial strip along U.S. Highway 45 in the south part of the city was directly impacted. A strip mall on the east side of U.S. Route 45 was destroyed. The tornado struck the Harrisburg medical center and surrounding residences on the southeast side of town. At least ten homes or other…

5. Apr 28, 1996Flash Flood$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread rainfall amounts from 4 to 7 inches in 24 hours caused extensive flooding. A pickup truck stalled in high water in rural Saline County. By the time the owner returned to it, it was submerged under 6 feet of water. Extensive flooding of farm fields forced farmers to delay spring planting indefinitely. The Harrisburg water treatment plant reported 5.75 inches in 24 hours. A number of roads and highways were closed. Schools were closed. Saline County was declared a federal disaster area. About 1.3 million dollars damage occurred to private property.

6. May 10, 1996Flash Flood$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Many roads became impassable. One bridge was moved about a foot. The flooding from this event combined with the late April flooding caused very heavy damage. Saline County was declared a federal disaster area. Rainfall totals from late April into early May were near a foot in many areas. The damage total is for the series of floods.

7. May 8, 2024Flash Flood$800,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Significant flash flooding occurred in Eldorado. Ferrell Hospital sustained floodwater damage with 55,000 sq ft of the hospital affected, requiring transfer of patients to other facilities. Flooding on roads leading to the hospital hindered emergency crews. Several streets around the city flooded, and water intruded into the Eldorado High School entrance. Torrential rainfall rates produced radar estimated 1.5-2 inches of rain in Eldorado, with most of the rain occurring between 1515-1615CST. Flash flooding transitioned to a flood event through the evening.

8. Apr 3, 2018Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado entered Saline County from Williamson County. In Saline County, three homes were destroyed. The peak intensity occurred between the Williamson County line and Galatia, where a single-wide mobile home was completely demolished. A well-built house was completely unroofed, and portions of the exterior walls collapsed. Peak winds were estimated near 125 mph at this location. Over a dozen other homes were damaged, with at least partial loss of shingles and siding. A couple dozen barns and pole barns were destroyed or heavily damaged. Hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted.

9. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Saline$500,000
   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…

10. Feb 11, 2008Winter Storm, Saline$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…

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, 22.9 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.