Davenport, Moline and Peoria: Storm Records and the Paperwork on Each Side of the River

Davenport and Scott County

NCEI's Scott County derecho entry runs from 12:10 to 1:40 p.m. CST on August 10, 2020, at an estimated 78 knots. Its narrative puts winds at 80 to 100 mph across much of the county and records an 86 mph peak at the Davenport airport sensor before the power failed, with large trees down on the grounds of the National Weather Service office there.

Hail here can be larger than the derecho's reputation suggests. On April 4, 2023, a public report of mostly 2-inch stones included one estimated at about 4 inches from a photo, and an off-duty NWS employee reported 3-inch hail near North Park Mall. On July 11, 2025, an EF2 tornado held 100 to 120 mph winds for much of its path into Davenport, with the worst damage near I-280 and Emeis Golf Course.

FEMA designated Scott County under DR-4557 for the derecho and again under DR-4796 for the June 2024 severe storms, flooding, straight-line winds and tornadoes.

Moline and Rock Island County

The Rock Island County derecho entry is estimated at 70 knots, with winds reported up to 80 mph that damaged most trees, crops and a few structures and caused prolonged outages. The SPC report log shows an 85 mph peak gust from an Iowa DOT sensor on the I-74 bridge, a tree that broke through a Moline ceiling, and gutters damaged and down near Cordova.

The county's most destructive recent tornado was the March 15, 2016 EF2 near Barstow, which damaged an estimated 40 homes and destroyed 10 in a rural East Moline neighborhood. Its biggest hail of the decade, 3 inches at Illinois City on June 8, 2018, did significant damage to house siding and vehicles.

Peoria County

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 66 hail events of 1 inch or larger in Peoria County from 2016 through 2025, third in Illinois behind Cook and Sangamon counties (NCEI). The costliest was wind-driven hail at Elmwood on November 2, 2016, which damaged the roofs and siding of 50 houses; NCEI lists $2 million in damage.

Peoria sat south of the derecho's core. Its strongest measured gust that day was 53 knots at Eden, and the attached summary says the greatest damage stayed along and north of the I-80 corridor while a trailing boundary brought 60 to 75 mph gusts to central Illinois. Water has cost the county more: flash flooding on April 17, 2013 damaged thousands of homes and businesses, and FEMA's DR-4116 for the April 2013 storms and flooding covers both Peoria and Rock Island counties.

Crossing the river changes the paperwork

The Iowa column comes from DIAL's registration rules, which treat a contractor whose principal place of business is outside Iowa as out-of-state even if it keeps a branch office there. The Illinois column comes from the Roofing Industry Licensing Act and the Home Repair and Remodeling Act. A Moline roofer replacing a Bettendorf roof and a Davenport roofer taking a Rock Island job each need the other state's credential first.

Find roofers in Davenport, Moline and Peoria on the National Roofing Directory, and compare its licensing pages for Iowa and Illinois.

Frequently asked questions

Can an Illinois roofer work on my house in Davenport?

Yes, if the company registers with Iowa's DIAL. A contractor whose principal place of business is in Illinois is an out-of-state contractor under Iowa's rules and, with few exceptions, must file a $25,000 bond to register, which secures payments owed to the state rather than your job.

How big has hail been in the Quad Cities?

NCEI's largest Scott County report from 2016 through 2025 is a stone estimated at about 4 inches in Davenport on April 4, 2023, among mostly 2-inch hail. Across the river, Rock Island County's largest was 3 inches at Illinois City in 2018.

Did the 2020 derecho hit Peoria as hard as the Quad Cities?

No. NCEI's Peoria County entries top out at a 53-knot measured gust, while Scott County's estimate is 78 knots with 80 to 100 mph winds across much of the county.