Funnel Cloud in Illinois
Every funnel cloud event the National Weather Service has filed in Illinois, year by year, with the most significant episodes. A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
The most significant on the map
The most significant funnel cloud episodes in Illinois.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 304
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- None recorded
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Illinois, November 17, 2013Supercell thunderstorms developed along a pre-frontal low pressure trough over Missouri and then moved east across southern Illinois.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, February 28, 2017Isolated supercell thunderstorms moved into southern Illinois during the evening hours. The storms developed ahead of a cold front in a destabilizing air mass characterized by dew points in the lower to mid 60's.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, August 10, 2020During the late morning through the afternoon of Monday August 10th, a line of intense thunderstorms known as a derecho brought widespread severe wind damage across Iowa, northern Illinois and northern Indiana.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, March 23, 2012A large upper level low pressure system moved east from Missouri into an area of warm, moist air with dewpoint temperatures in the 60s. Strong mid level winds helped to produce severe thunderstorms, including supercells.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, May 25, 2011Numerous strong to severe thunderstorms occurred in the warm sector of a low pressure system over central Missouri. The air mass in the warm sector was very unstable, with afternoon mixed-layer cape values in the 2500 to 4000 j/kg range.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Illinois, April 30, 2003Supercell thunderstorms developed in the afternoon and evening north of a warm front that ran from Southern Iowa into Central Illinois. Three distinct supercells produced a majority of the wind, hail, and heavy rain reports from Jefferson County Iowa into Henry County Illinois.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Illinois, October 26, 2010A line of strong to severe thunderstorms moved across northern Illinois during the morning hours of October 26th. Three tornadoes were reported along with damaging winds.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Illinois, July 25 to 26, 2025Isolated thunderstorms produced funnel clouds across central Illinois during the late morning of July 25th.
- Tornado and Flash Flood in Illinois, September 3, 2018Strong to severe thunderstorms moved across portions of northern Illinois during the afternoon of September 3rd.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, March 8, 2009A strong 500 mb shortwave moved rapidly northeast from the Plains during the day. The shortwave became a closed low over the Great Lakes region by the evening hours.
- Lightning Strikes in Illinois, July 28, 2016Scattered thunderstorms went through northern Illinois during the afternoon and evening. Heavy rain brought some minor flooding, and there were some reports of funnel clouds.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Illinois, September 4, 2006Penny size hail was reported on the south side of Rockford.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Illinois, May 8 to 9, 2024A major outbreak of severe weather occurred on the 8th for the Quad State region. On the synoptic scale, a longwave trough was centered across the Rockies with deep-layer southwesterly flow from the Southern Plains to the Ohio Valley.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, February 19, 2026A surface low lifted northeastward across Missouri towards the Illinois-Iowa border during the afternoon and evening of February 19th. A warm front extended east from the low into southeast Illinois.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Illinois, July 27, 2006Two miles of high tension power lines and 31 utility poles were blown down along Interstate 57 near mile marker 284. Interstate 57 was closed for several hours. Corn fields were also flattened.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Illinois, April 3 to 7, 2014Thunderstorms intensified within a zone of strong southerly low level winds that provided abundant warmth and moisture. These strong low level winds enhanced wind shear, which promoted the development of supercells with isolated tornadoes.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Illinois, June 28 to 29, 2017Severe thunderstorms produced heavy rain, flash flooding, wind damage and a few tornadoes during the evening hours of June 28th. A wake low after earlier thunderstorms caused high winds across part of central Illinois including a measured gust to 61 mph at Pontiac Airport (KPNT).
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Illinois, June 19 to 23, 2015Rain bands associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Bill produced isolated tornadoes and locally very heavy rainfall. The convective character of the bands increased during the afternoon due to short intervals of sunshine that destabilized the atmosphere.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, December 23, 2015A fast-moving line of severe storms moved east across southern Illinois, accompanied by locally damaging winds and isolated tornadoes. A few bowing segments along the line produced damaging winds.
- Flash Flood and Flooding in Illinois, September 22, 2006Vehicles were reported damaged by hail.
- Flash Flood and Flooding in Illinois, July 21 to 22, 2017A supercell thunderstorm produced large hail and wind damage in the northwest suburbs of the Chicago area during the afternoon hours of July 21st. Additional thunderstorms developed during the evening hours of July 21st and continued into the early morning of July 22nd.
- Tornado and Hail in Illinois, February 20, 2014Thunderstorms organized into line segments and isolated supercells as a cold front moved east from Missouri. The storms strengthened within a corridor of weak to moderate instability just ahead of the eastward-moving cold front.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, March 12 to 13, 2006Quarter size hail covered the ground.
- Tornadoes in Illinois, April 5, 1999The tornado first touched down along Highway 9 southwest of Good Hope snapping several trees. From there the tornado moved northeast across Town Fork Creek damaging several trees in a densely wooded area and snapping two large trees along a county road.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Illinois, May 30, 2018Strong thunderstorms produced heavy rain and flooding across northern Illinois. Several funnel clouds and a brief land spout tornado were also reported.
More
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.