IL

Storm restoration across Edgar County

Edgar County sits in east-central Illinois within the NWS Central Illinois (ILX) forecast zone, making it fully exposed to the severe weather corridor that runs from the Illinois plains toward Indiana. The county has recorded 34 tornadoes since 1950, including an F3 that tracked 42 miles near Hume in 1963 and an EF2 near Chrisman in December 2021, with spring months (April through June) carrying the highest tornado frequency. Derechos and straight-line wind events are a documented threat: a June-July 2023 derecho outbreak produced wind gusts exceeding 100 mph and caused sufficient damage for Governor Pritzker to include Edgar County in a statewide disaster proclamation, while a December 1998 derecho downed power poles and destroyed outbuildings across the county. Large hail accompanies the same supercell and squall-line patterns that drive wind and tornado risk, and the Embarras River watershed creates recurring flash and river flooding potential during heavy rain events; winter storms deliver periodic heavy snow and ice, with Winter Storm Blair (2025) dropping 5 to 9 inches and January 2014 burying the county in nearly a foot of snow with significant drifting.