IL

Storm restoration across Shelby County

Shelby County sits in central Illinois within the heart of the Midwest severe weather corridor, making it vulnerable to the full range of warm-season hazards. The county has recorded 35 tornadoes since 1950, predominantly EF0-EF1 events but including an F3 near Windsor in 1977 and a December 2021 tornado that tracked 41 miles with 7.7 miles crossing the county; large hail regularly accompanies supercell thunderstorms, and the county is included in federally declared disaster areas tied to derecho events, most recently the July 2024 derecho that brought widespread straight-line wind damage and 2+ inch rainfall totals across Shelbyville, Moweaqua, and Windsor. The Kaskaskia River drainage makes low-lying areas susceptible to river flooding after heavy rain events, while central Illinois averages five severe winter storms annually with ice storms posing particular risk to the rural road network and overhead lines serving the county's small communities.