White County

Every recorded tornado

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

River crests

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 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 19, 2011Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado several miles southeast of Carmi severely damaged two farms. Over a dozen grain bins were destroyed. One of the grain bins followed a curved path that crossed a fence twice. A seven-ton truck that was parked in a shed was overturned onto its side. An equipment shed was unroofed. Windows were blown out on all sides of a large, multi-story house. The house sustained considerable loss of roofing material and collapse of a non load-bearing wall. Several objects in the house were found across the street, including a mirror and curtains. Power poles were snapped. Irrigation pivots were overturned. The pattern of flattened corn stubble indicated convergent winds in a field.…

2. Feb 28, 2017Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down between Crossville and Carmi, quickly strengthening to EF-3 intensity before crossing Illinois Route 1. The tornado track stayed northeast of Carmi, in relatively sparsely populated farmland. In White County, 35 structures were damaged or destroyed. At least several of those were homes. Just west of Highway 1, several vehicles were rolled over and moved, and a single-wide mobile home was destroyed. Near where the tornado crossed Route 1, an older house was moved three feet off its foundation. The house did not appear to be bolted to the foundation. Most of the second floor was removed. A double-wide mobile home was destroyed in the same area near Route 1.…

3. Apr 19, 1996Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The short-lived tornado caused extensive damage to aircraft hangers and aircraft at the Carmi airport. Ten hangars were destroyed, along with eight small planes and an automobile. The windows were blown out of a church half a mile northeast of the airport, and one of its walls was damaged. Metal debris from the airport littered the church property.

4. May 1, 2011Flood$800,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flooding continued on the Wabash River from April. At the New Harmony (Indiana) river gage, the river crested at 23.67 feet on May 4. This level was the fourth highest crest on record, exceeding the 2005 flood by about six inches. This was the highest level since 1943. Sandbagging began to prevent Wabash River floodwaters from entering the Grayville water plant. Several homes in Grayville were threatened by rising water, and water entered a number of basements. The approach to the bridge to Maunie was washed out. The 172 residents of Maunie were asked to evacuate, but 42 of them did not. An airboat was brought in by Illinois police to shuttle supplies into the isolated…

5. Apr 24, 2002Hail$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hundreds of homes and vehicles were damaged by hail across White County.

6. Aug 28, 2004Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A total of 7.85 inches of rain was measured by the co-operative observer at Carmi during the afternoon, mostly during a three-hour period. Parts of dozens of streets were impassable or inaccessible during and after the storm. The water was slow to recede, and many streets were blocked off, including the two state highways through town. Water up to three feet deep filled many basements and invaded the first floors of some homes. Water was knee-deep in one home, and at least five feet deep in the basement of another home. Water inundated the parking lot of a convenience store, and the occupants of the store were evacuated by a backhoe. Many businesses were closed. Occupants of a…

7. May 10, 1996Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   U.S. 45 north of Enfield was covered with water, as were several secondary roads. This heavy rain fell on already saturated ground. Rainfall totals from late April into early May were around 12 inches. White County was declared a federal disaster area. Damage to public property was estimated at 450,000 dollars. Damage to 36 private structures resulted in close to another half million dollars. Crop damage estimates were not yet available. The total damage estimate listed above is for all flooding in White County since late April.

8. Apr 19, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A swath of damaging straight-line winds around 90 mph extended from Carmi northeast to Crossville. In Carmi and Crossville, there was widespread damage to trees and power lines. Numerous power poles were snapped. Sections of the metal walls of a large warehouse type building in Carmi were peeled back on the south and west sides. A mobile home was knocked off its foundation in Carmi. Much of the city was without power for 36 to 48 hours. Part of the roof was blown off the high school. Uprooted trees fell across homes and vehicles. A carport was blown into trees. In Crossville, numerous trees and limbs were blown down on every street. Some trees landed on houses and vehicles. A…

9. Jan 5, 2005Flood, White$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Record flooding of the Lower Wabash River occurred, prompting state disaster declarations that included Wabash, White, and Gallatin Counties. Floodfighting activities included the construction of temporary sandbag levees. An agricultural levee near Calvin (in White County) was breached in three places, inundating thousands of acres of farmland. All access to the small community of Maunie (in White County) was cut off by floodwaters, and half of the community was underwater. Ambulances were sent to rescue three oil field workers who were caught in floodwaters near Crossville. No serious injuries were reported. Combined effects of the Wabash and Little Wabash Rivers resulted in at…

10. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, White$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…

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

109°FJul 24, 1901

All-time low

−21°FJan 7, 1912

Warmest night

83°FJul 24, 1901

Coldest day

−7°FFeb 9, 1899

Wettest day

7.40 inApr 29, 1996

Snowiest day

14.0 inJan 12, 1912

Hottest year

1921mean 61.2°F

Coldest year

1958mean 53.8°F

Wettest year

195765.27 in

Driest year

196324.82 in

Snowiest season

50.3 in1911-12

Station Mount Vernon (USC00126001), 357 ft elevation, 19.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1893 to October 27, 2026; 86.8% 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 USC00126001.
• 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.