Union County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Union 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. Apr 28, 2002Tornado$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado first touched down in very hilly terrain in the Shawnee National Forest and then tracked east, crossing Route 127 just north of Mill Creek. The tornado then directly struck the community of Dongola, where most of the damage and casualties occurred. A 69-year-old woman was killed as she was attempting to flee her mobile home. The woman had just gotten into her car, started the engine, and turned the lights on when the tornado struck. She was blown away from the car and found dead under a structure across the road from where the vehicle was parked and still running. Elsewhere in the Dongola area, a train was blown off the tracks. Several wood houses were demolished, and…

2. Mar 18, 2008Flood$1.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Historic flooding inundated the county after close to 12 inches of rain fell in 48 hours. Levees were overtopped along the Clear Creek drainage district, essentially cutting the county in two. All east-west roads were impassable or closed. Between 30 and 35 people were rescued or evacuated by emergency personnel using boats. About 12 houses were flooded. Highway 146 was closed near Ware. Evacuations were concentrated near Clear Creek, Ware, and west of Jonesboro. On secondary roads and side streets, creeks rose over bridges. Damage was reported to roads all over the county. A couple of bridges were severely damaged. Flooding affected a telephone company building in Anna, knocking…

3. Feb 11, 2008Winter Storm, Union$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…

4. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Union$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…

5. Jan 1, 2016Flood$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Mississippi River levels continued their climb from December, and record or near-record flooding occurred early in the month. There are no river gages in Union County, but there is a gage at Thebes in nearby Alexander County. At the Thebes river gage, the river crested at a new record of 47.74 feet on the 2nd. Backwater from the Mississippi River contributed to flooding of Clear Creek and other tributaries, which affected isolated homes. Some residents were isolated by the floodwaters. Sandbagging operations were conducted to protect water wells and to reinforce levees. The National Guard was activated to assist with the sandbagging. A number of residents voluntarily evacuated.…

6. May 1, 2011Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread flooding continued from April into May across southern Illinois. Following excessive rain in April, a final dose of heavy rain came between April 30 and May 2. Numerous rounds of showers and thunderstorms produced additional average rainfall amounts of 4 to 6 inches. Between 9 and 22 inches of rain fell across the region between April 22 and May 3. Most creeks and streams flooded for an extended period of time. Some of the flooding was major. The Saline River threatened some homes and businesses in parts of Saline County around Muddy, Eldorado, and Harrisburg. In Carbondale, more than 30 mobile homes were flooded at a trailer park that was inundated by Crab Orchard…

7. Jun 1, 2019Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flooding of the Mississippi River continued through the month of June. A disaster proclamation was issued by the governor. There was extensive flooding of low-lying farmland and woods. Numerous county roads were inundated. Levees began to show signs of stress due to the extended duration of the flood, which began in March. The Union County sheriff advised residents in the Wolf Lake and Ware areas that storm sirens would be used in the event of a levee breach.

8. May 17, 1999Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   High winds from a line of thunderstorms caused widespread damage across Union County. Hundreds of downed trees and power lines were reported. In Cobden, community officials estimated 100,000 dollars damage occurred. Children escaped injury at an elementary school in McClure when storms blew off the gymnasium's roof. Damaging winds caused extensive damage in Anna, where numerous trees and limbs were blown down. A one-story frame house in Anna was flattened by a falling tree. In Jonesboro, there were small trees down and 10-inch diameter limbs. Two houses in Jonesboro sustained some of the worst storm-related damage due to trees smashing into them. Power was out for more than 12…

9. May 8, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Northwest parts of the county were struck hardest by very strong winds associated with the comma head of a bow echo. Widespread tree and power line damage occurred. The most intense destruction was in the Wolf Lake and Alto Pass areas. About 25 homes sustained damage in the county. Power outages were widespread. Numerous trees were snapped along Illinois Route 127, mainly north of Anna. The highway was closed while fire and highway personnel worked to clear it. A large tree fell in Anna, taking down power lines and a couple utility poles.

10. Apr 25, 2011Flash Flood$250,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Three small bridges were washed out. The bridges were on secondary roads off Highway 127, Highway 146, and Highway 51. Numerous roads were underwater or impassable across the county, including Illinois Route 146 near Ware. Several families were evacuated from their houses. Flash flooding of Clear Creek closed a local road. The Jonesboro community center was damaged by water.

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

−18°FJan 11, 1977

Warmest night

81°F2 times, most recently Jun 13, 2022

Coldest day

2°FJan 20, 1985

Wettest day

11.49 inMar 18, 2008

Snowiest day

24.0 inFeb 25, 1979

Hottest year

2024mean 60.5°F

Coldest year

1979mean 55.2°F

Wettest year

201174.39 in

Driest year

201227.00 in

Station Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport (USW00003935), 334 ft elevation, 25.3 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1960 to October 17, 2026; 98.7% 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 USW00003935.
• 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.