IL

Storm restoration across Clinton County

Clinton County sits in southwestern Illinois within the St. Louis NWS warning area and carries a well-documented severe weather history. The county has recorded 17 confirmed tornadoes from 1896 through 2012, including a deadly 1896 F4 near New Baden that killed 14 people and a 1982 F3 that destroyed 74 mobile homes and an apartment complex in New Baden, killing 2 and injuring 70. Large hail is a recurring threat - a April 2012 outbreak produced softball-size hailstones across the county, with widespread vehicle and structural damage. Straight-line winds and derechos regularly strike from squall lines tracking northeast out of Missouri, with documented events producing winds up to 100 mph. The Kaskaskia River, which forms the county's southern border and feeds Carlyle Lake, drives periodic flash and river flooding particularly around Carlyle, where flood stage is reached during significant rain events. Winter brings ice storms and heavy snow consistent with central Illinois patterns.