Tornadoes · United States · Illinois

2003 tornadoes in Illinois

119 tornadoes touched down in Illinois in 2003, 191 percent above the average of the record for the state. They killed 2 people and injured 82. 1 were rated F4 or EF4 and above.

2002 2004 The whole country in 2003

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 2003

March 19 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
March 19	1:25 PM CST	F0	Sangamon	0.1	10

April 4 7 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
April 4	3:08 PM CST	F1	Logan	1.0	30	$50,000
April 4	3:11 PM CST	F0	Logan	0.1	10
April 4	3:20 PM CST	F0	McLean	0.1	10
April 4	3:48 PM CST	F0	DeWitt	0.1	10
April 4	3:53 PM CST	F0	DeWitt	0.3	30
April 4	4:08 PM CST	F1	Clinton	4.0	100
April 4	6:35 PM CST	F0	Edgar	0.1	10

April 25 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 25	2:43 PM CDT	F0	Alexander	0.3	30

April 30 7 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
April 30	6:42 PM CDT	F1	Mercer	0.0	75	$500,000
April 30	6:57 PM CDT	F0	Mercer	0.8	20	$50,000
April 30	7:08 PM CDT	F1	Mercer	0.1	50	$500,000
April 30	7:11 PM CDT	F0	Mercer	0.5	25	$250,000
April 30	7:12 PM CDT	F1	Mercer	0.5	75	$300,000
April 30	7:29 PM CDT	F0	Henry	0.0	50
April 30	8:30 PM CDT	F0	Knox	1.0	10

May 4 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 4	10:09 PM CDT	F1	Pope to KY	2.2	50
May 4	10:10 PM CDT	F1	Livingston to KY	9.8	60			$10,000

May 6 9 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 6	8:10 PM CDT	F1	Monroe	4.0	60
May 6	8:30 PM CDT	F1	Randolph	0.5	60
May 6	8:35 PM CDT	F0	Randolph	0.1	25
May 6	8:57 PM CDT	F0	Alexander	0.3	30
May 6	9:32 PM CDT	F4	New Grand Chain–Golconda tornado	33.0	1,000	2	33	$16 million
May 6	10:27 PM CDT	F2	Alexander to MO, KY	25.0	400		1	$300,000
May 6	10:27 PM CDT	F0	Johnson	0.2	30
May 6	10:47 PM CDT	F0	Johnson	0.2	30
May 6	10:50 PM CDT	F0	Massac	0.2	30

May 8 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 8	3:00 PM CDT	F0	Macoupin	0.2	50
May 8	5:15 PM CDT	F0	Clay	0.1	10

May 9 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 9	7:40 PM CDT	F0	Sangamon	0.3	20

May 10 24 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
May 10	7:53 AM CDT	F0	Sangamon	0.1	10
May 10	7:55 AM CDT	F0	Sangamon	0.2	20
May 10	7:58 AM CDT	F0	Sangamon	1.0	30		$40,000
May 10	8:08 AM CDT	F0	Christian	0.3	20
May 10	9:45 AM CDT	F0	Cumberland	0.1	10
May 10	10:40 AM CDT	F0	Edgar	0.1	10
May 10	11:00 AM CDT	F1	Jasper	1.5	100		$10,000
May 10	6:36 PM CDT	F2	Adams	69.2	300	4	$1.1 million
May 10	7:20 PM CDT	F2	Adams	30.8	300
May 10	8:14 PM CDT	F2	Schuyler	6.0	150
May 10	8:30 PM CDT	F0	Mercer	8.3	100		$100,000
May 10	8:32 PM CDT	F1	Fulton	3.0	400
May 10	8:45 PM CDT	F0	Mercer	2.1	50		$100,000
May 10	8:47 PM CDT	F1	Fulton	2.7	100
May 10	8:55 PM CDT	F0	Mercer	3.8	50		$50,000
May 10	8:55 PM CDT	F0	Henry	25.5	100		$650,000
May 10	9:12 PM CDT	F1	Mason	8.0	150
May 10	9:33 PM CDT	F2	Mason	2.5	100	1
May 10	9:38 PM CDT	F1	Mason	2.0	100
May 10	9:45 PM CDT	F3	Tazewell	17.5	440	32	$10 million
May 10	9:58 PM CDT	F0	Bureau	4.1	50		$50,000
May 10	10:16 PM CDT	F1	Tazewell	1.5	100
May 10	10:18 PM CDT	F2	Woodford	12.5	300	4
May 10	10:25 PM CDT	F1	Woodford	8.0	200

May 14 8 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
May 14	5:59 PM CDT	F0	Ford	1.0	50	$2,000
May 14	6:08 PM CDT	F0	McLean	0.1	10
May 14	6:12 PM CDT	F0	Champaign	0.1	10
May 14	6:45 PM CDT	F0	Champaign	0.1	10
May 14	7:14 PM CDT	F0	Champaign	0.1	10
May 14	7:19 PM CDT	F0	Vermilion	0.1	10
May 14	7:28 PM CDT	F0	Piatt	0.1	10
May 14	7:40 PM CDT	F0	Vermilion	0.1	10

May 28 10 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)
May 28	2:40 PM CDT	F1	Woodford	3.5	100
May 28	2:58 PM CDT	F0	Woodford	0.1	10
May 28	3:10 PM CDT	F0	Tazewell	0.1	10
May 28	3:19 PM CDT	F0	Kane	1.0	50
May 28	3:39 PM CDT	F0	Kendall	1.0	50
May 28	3:41 PM CDT	F0	Tazewell	0.1	10
May 28	3:56 PM CDT	F0	Logan	0.1	10
May 28	3:59 PM CDT	F0	Logan	1.2	20
May 28	5:49 PM CDT	F0	Ford	1.5	75
May 28	7:05 PM CDT	F0	Vermilion	0.1	10

May 30 18 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
May 30	6:25 PM CDT	F0	Winnebago	0.3	100
May 30	6:33 PM CDT	F0	Winnebago	4.0	100
May 30	6:36 PM CDT	F0	Lee	4.0	100
May 30	7:16 PM CDT	F0	LaSalle	0.5	50
May 30	7:35 PM CDT	F0	Kendall	2.5	100
May 30	7:36 PM CDT	F0	Fulton	0.1	10
May 30	7:42 PM CDT	F0	Kendall	3.5	100
May 30	7:53 PM CDT	F2	Woodford	7.3	150
May 30	7:56 PM CDT	F1	Mason	14.0	100
May 30	8:20 PM CDT	F1	Will	1.7	100
May 30	8:22 PM CDT	F0	Logan	5.0	50
May 30	8:25 PM CDT	F1	Will	5.7	100		$60,000
May 30	8:30 PM CDT	F0	Cook	0.3	50
May 30	8:31 PM CDT	F0	Will	0.5	50
May 30	8:34 PM CDT	F0	Logan	0.1	10
May 30	8:34 PM CDT	F0	Kankakee	2.5	50
May 30	8:38 PM CDT	F2	Logan	14.0	880		$2.5 million
May 30	8:51 PM CDT	F2	DeWitt	12.8	1,100	4	$9.3 million

June 10 7 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries
June 10	5:55 PM CDT	F0	Saint Clair	3.5	75
June 10	6:05 PM CDT	F2	Saint Clair	3.5	150	2
June 10	6:10 PM CDT	F0	Monroe	3.0	50
June 10	6:11 PM CDT	F0	Monroe	1.0	50
June 10	6:30 PM CDT	F0	Clinton	1.2	40
June 10	6:30 PM CDT	F0	DeKalb	0.5	50
June 10	6:35 PM CDT	F1	Washington	14.0	60

June 11 8 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)
June 11	6:10 PM CDT	F0	DeWitt	0.1	10
June 11	6:20 PM CDT	F0	Sangamon	0.1	10
June 11	6:22 PM CDT	F0	Sangamon	0.1	10
June 11	6:25 PM CDT	F0	DeWitt	0.2	10
June 11	6:25 PM CDT	F0	Logan	0.1	10
June 11	6:30 PM CDT	F0	Macon	0.1	10
June 11	6:38 PM CDT	F0	Logan	0.1	10
June 11	6:38 PM CDT	F0	Logan	0.1	10

June 13 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 13	6:00 PM CDT	F0	McLean	0.1	10

June 14 6 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)
June 14	3:15 PM CDT	F0	Stephenson	0.0	50
June 14	3:20 PM CDT	F0	Carroll	0.1	50
June 14	3:26 PM CDT	F0	Carroll	0.1	50
June 14	3:30 PM CDT	F0	Stephenson	0.5	50
June 14	3:30 PM CDT	F0	Carroll	0.1	50
June 14	4:03 PM CDT	F0	Stephenson	0.0	50

July 8 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 8	3:34 PM CDT	F0	Tazewell	0.3	20			$30,000

July 9 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 9	6:22 PM CDT	F0	Champaign	0.1	10

July 27 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 27	1:26 PM CDT	F0	Kendall	1.0	100

August 31 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 31	4:14 PM CDT	F1	Christian	5.0	100

September 12 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 12	6:38 PM CDT	F0	Whiteside	0.2	35			$10,000

September 26 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 26	5:15 PM CDT	F1	Logan	0.8	50			$10,000
September 26	6:50 PM CDT	F1	Coles	1.5	250		1	$10 million

Crossed into Illinois

Tornadoes that touched down in a neighboring state and ran into Illinois. They are counted under the state they began in.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 4	9:43 PM CDT	F1	Ballard, KY to IL	3.9	100

Nearby

Every tornado in Illinois since 1950 Warnings in force in Illinois The 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.