Worst Natural Disaster in Illinois History was Not From a Tornado

Sometimes you learn things that genuinely surprise you and that was the case with this historical event. Did you know that the worst natural disaster in Illinois history was not the result of a violent tornado? It was also something that recently passed its sad 28th anniversary.

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If you asked me before I researched this, I would have guessed the legendary Tri-State Tornado of 1925 would have been ranked as the worst natural disaster in Illinois history, but that's technically wrong when you're talking strictly about loss of life. The National Weather Service documents that twister took 695 lives in March of 1925, but there was an event in the Land of Lincoln even worse than that.

What natural disaster could possibly be worse than the monster killer tornado of 1925 for Illinois?

That is a question answered recently by 24/7 Wall St. They listed each state's worst natural disaster in history and while they mentioned the Tri-State Tornado, the worst disaster for Illinois happened during a 3-day period during the summer of 1995. It was a vicious heat wave.

Here are some staggering numbers. Between July 13 and July 15, 1995, 750 Illinoisans lost their lives as heat victimized many who were vulnerable and did not have reliable cooling. The National Weather Service remembered this horrific period of unrelenting heat in a graphic.

As they mention, Chicago saw the most victims during the days where heat topped 120 for at least 6 straight hours. Unbelievable.

In the past 28 years, many in Illinois claim to have learned their lessons about how fast a place like Chicago needs to respond to a heat emergency. Hopefully that's true so no one ever has to endure a natural disaster like this ever again.