Tornadoes · United States · Illinois
1981 tornadoes in Illinois
33 tornadoes touched down in Illinois in 1981, 19 percent below the average of the record for the state. They killed 1 people and injured 48. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and above.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
F040 to 72 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F173 to 112 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
F2113 to 157 mph
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
F3158 to 206 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
F4207 to 260 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
F5261 to 318 mph
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.
Every tornado in Illinois in 1981
March 29 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 29 | 6:30 PM CST | F4 | Whiteside | 5.1 | 33 | $500,000 to $5 million |
April 3 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 3 | 10:50 PM CST | F4 | Madison | 11.9 | 567 | 32 | $5 million to $50 million |
April 4 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 4 | 12:30 AM CST | F1 | Rock Island | 4.9 | 100 | 4 | $500,000 to $5 million |
April 13 6 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 13 | 4:35 PM CST | F1 | Fulton | 46.1 | 100 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| April 13 | 8:07 PM CST | F0 | Putnam | 0.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| April 13 | 8:30 PM CST | F2 | McLean | 0.1 | 10 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| April 13 | 10:35 PM CST | F0 | McLean | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| April 13 | 11:10 PM CST | F1 | Woodford | 34.5 | 150 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| April 13 | 11:20 PM CST | F1 | McLean | 0.1 | 50 | $5,000 to $50,000 |
April 22 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 22 | 5:56 PM CST | F0 | Madison | 5.6 | 50 | $500 to $5,000 |
May 27 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 27 | 2:00 PM CDT | F0 | Peoria | 0.5 | 13 |
June 1 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1 | 4:45 PM CDT | F0 | White | 0.1 | 10 |
June 8 7 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 8 | 5:43 PM CDT | F0 | McDonough | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| June 8 | 7:56 PM CDT | F0 | Schuyler | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| June 8 | 8:18 PM CDT | F1 | Tazewell | 0.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| June 8 | 9:37 PM CDT | F1 | Champaign | 0.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| June 8 | 9:38 PM CDT | F1 | DeWitt | 0.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| June 8 | 9:40 PM CDT | F1 | Champaign | 0.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| June 8 | 9:40 PM CDT | F0 | Sangamon | 0.1 | 10 |
June 20 4 tornadoes
June 21 6 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 21 | 8:14 PM CDT | F1 | Hancock | 0.1 | 10 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| June 21 | 8:47 PM CDT | F1 | Hancock | 0.1 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| June 21 | 8:56 PM CDT | F3 | Schuyler | 8.8 | 880 | 1 | 12 | $500,000 to $5 million |
| June 21 | 9:33 PM CDT | F0 | McLean | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| June 21 | 10:00 PM CDT | F0 | Adams | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| June 21 | 10:16 PM CDT | F0 | McLean | 0.3 | 50 |
July 4 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 4 | 4:07 PM CDT | F0 | Vermilion | 0.2 | 167 | $500 to $5,000 |
July 25 2 tornadoes
August 25 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 25 | 5:05 PM CDT | F1 | Henry | 0.3 | 17 | $5,000 to $50,000 |
Nearby
Every tornado in Illinois since 1950Warnings in force in IllinoisThe live radar over Illinois
What this means
Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.
Sources
NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.