IL

Storm restoration across DeWitt County

DeWitt County sits in central Illinois within the NWS Lincoln forecast area, placing it squarely in the path of severe weather that tracks northeast across the state's agricultural flatlands. The county has recorded 26 tornadoes since 1950, including a deadly F3 near Waynesville in 1951 and a 1968 event that killed 4 and injured 50; recent EF1 tornadoes struck Wapella in June 2023 and farms in the county in June 2025. Large hail-producing supercells frequently form or intensify over DeWitt County, and the region is exposed to derechos carrying straight-line winds exceeding 100 mph, events severe enough to trigger gubernatorial disaster proclamations covering the county. Flash flooding is an additional hazard, with extreme rainfall events historically dumping several inches in short periods, while winter brings ice storms and heavy snow that can down trees and power lines across the county's rural road network.