IL

Storm restoration across Massac County

Massac County sits at the southern tip of Illinois along the Ohio River, placing it in one of the state's most active severe weather corridors. The county is exposed to significant tornado risk, including a documented F4 tornado on May 6, 2003 that cut a 33-mile path through Pulaski, Massac, and Pope counties at peak winds of 210 mph, killing 2 and injuring 33. Large hail and straight-line wind events are frequent from spring through early fall, and the county sits within the derecho corridor of the Ohio Valley that averages one to two derecho events per season. The Ohio River defines the county's southern border and creates recurring flood hazard: the Brookport gauge reached 57 feet during the May 2011 flood event, the second-highest crest on record, regularly threatening low-lying areas and road infrastructure. Winter hazards include ice storms and hard freezes, with Metropolis having recorded a temperature extreme of negative 21 degrees Fahrenheit in January 1984.