Tornadoes · United States · Illinois

2023 tornadoes in Illinois

118 tornadoes touched down in Illinois in 2023, 189 percent above the average of the record for the state. They killed 7 people and injured 64.

2022 2024 The whole country in 2023

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

EF065 to 85 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 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.
EF3136 to 165 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
EF5over 200 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 2023

January 3 9 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)
January 3	3:52 PM CST	Unrated	Sangamon	0.1	10
January 3	4:05 PM CST	Unrated	Logan	0.0	10
January 3	4:33 PM CST	EF0	Macon	0.3	25
January 3	4:35 PM CST	EF1	Macon	0.9	75
January 3	5:05 PM CST	Unrated	Christian	0.1	10
January 3	5:38 PM CST	EF1	McLean	0.5	25
January 3	5:56 PM CST	EF1	Ford	2.9	25
January 3	6:00 PM CST	EF1	Macon	0.2	25
January 3	6:05 PM CST	EF0	Macon	1.1	20

February 27 5 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)
February 27	8:43 AM CST	EF0	Champaign	1.1	30
February 27	8:55 AM CST	Unrated	Champaign	1.5	25
February 27	9:15 AM CST	Unrated	Ford	1.6	50
February 27	9:41 AM CST	EF0	Kendall	2.2	100
February 27	9:52 AM CST	EF0	DuPage	1.4	30

March 31 36 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
March 31	2:37 PM CDT	Unrated	Tazewell	0.3	10
March 31	3:15 PM CDT	EF1	Tazewell	0.9	10
March 31	3:23 PM CDT	Unrated	Woodford	0.6	20
March 31	4:05 PM CDT	Unrated	Livingston	0.0	15
March 31	5:15 PM CDT	Unrated	Scott	0.5	10
March 31	5:27 PM CDT	Unrated	Morgan	0.7	10
March 31	5:35 PM CDT	EF0	Morgan	1.1	30
March 31	6:12 PM CDT	EF2	Sangamon	5.4	400
March 31	6:18 PM CDT	EF2	Sangamon	21.0	200
March 31	6:24 PM CDT	EF2	Henry	3.5	300
March 31	6:33 PM CDT	EF2	Henry	3.0	200
March 31	6:36 PM CDT	EF2	Henry	9.3	440
March 31	6:37 PM CDT	EF2	Henry	6.8	650
March 31	6:39 PM CDT	EF1	Carroll	1.0	50
March 31	6:47 PM CDT	EF0	Macoupin	6.3	150			$25,000
March 31	6:48 PM CDT	EF1	Whiteside	13.9	150
March 31	6:50 PM CDT	EF1	Carroll	11.0	200
March 31	7:06 PM CDT	EF0	Christian	4.1	20
March 31	7:08 PM CDT	EF2	Lee	9.3	350
March 31	7:13 PM CDT	EF1	Lee	7.8	75
March 31	7:13 PM CDT	EF1	Christian	1.7	30
March 31	7:24 PM CDT	EF1	Ogle	27.5	600	1	40
March 31	7:31 PM CDT	EF1	Winnebago	5.8	300
March 31	7:33 PM CDT	EF1	Winnebago	8.6	300
March 31	7:39 PM CDT	EF1	Champaign	10.8	500		2
March 31	7:44 PM CDT	EF1	Boone to WI	17.3	300			$100,000
March 31	7:55 PM CDT	EF0	Kendall	5.6	200
March 31	7:57 PM CDT	EF1	Vermilion	16.5	300
March 31	8:00 PM CDT	EF0	Kane	1.6	225
March 31	8:01 PM CDT	EF0	Kane	1.7	150
March 31	8:03 PM CDT	EF0	Kendall	4.7	250
March 31	8:05 PM CDT	EF0	Will	1.6	125
March 31	8:11 PM CDT	EF1	Marion	6.0	250			$2.0 million
March 31	8:17 PM CDT	EF1	DuPage	1.6	175
March 31	8:20 PM CDT	EF1	Iroquois	4.8	300
March 31	8:58 PM CDT	EF3	Robinson tornado	40.9	700	6	16	$18 million

April 4 10 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries
April 4	9:36 AM CDT	EF1	Rock Island	1.1	25
April 4	9:41 AM CDT	EF1	Rock Island	1.6	150
April 4	9:47 AM CDT	EF1	Rock Island	1.6	25
April 4	9:57 AM CDT	EF2	Henry	0.5	50
April 4	10:15 AM CDT	EF2	Henry	2.8	600
April 4	6:52 PM CDT	EF1	McDonough	8.3	350
April 4	7:02 PM CDT	EF1	Fulton	1.9	200
April 4	7:09 PM CDT	Unrated	Fulton	0.8	20
April 4	7:11 PM CDT	EF3	Fulton	19.9	600	4
April 4	7:29 PM CDT	Unrated	Fulton	0.2	20

April 5 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 5	4:48 AM CDT	EF0	Henry	3.1	50

April 15 8 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)
April 15	6:34 PM CDT	EF1	Monroe	19.6	100
April 15	6:39 PM CDT	EF0	Monroe	5.0	100
April 15	6:43 PM CDT	Unrated	Monroe	0.3	25
April 15	6:59 PM CDT	EF0	Saint Clair	0.6	100
April 15	7:01 PM CDT	Unrated	Madison	0.2	25
April 15	7:03 PM CDT	EF0	Saint Clair	1.1	90
April 15	7:03 PM CDT	EF1	Saint Clair	3.0	200
April 15	7:33 PM CDT	Unrated	Washington	0.2	50

April 20 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 20	3:56 PM CDT	EF1	Whiteside	5.9	300

May 7 4 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)
May 7	6:30 PM CDT	Unrated	Kankakee	0.2	50
May 7	6:40 PM CDT	Unrated	Bureau	0.1	20
May 7	6:42 PM CDT	Unrated	Kankakee	1.0	50
May 7	7:09 PM CDT	Unrated	LaSalle	0.1	25

May 13 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 13	2:37 PM CDT	Unrated	Macon	0.5	10

May 31 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 31	3:50 PM CDT	Unrated	McHenry	0.6	25

June 29 7 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)
June 29	12:12 PM CDT	EF2	Sangamon	9.1	800
June 29	12:26 PM CDT	EF1	Logan	4.8	100
June 29	12:27 PM CDT	Unrated	Christian	0.8	40
June 29	12:29 PM CDT	EF1	Christian	3.5	200
June 29	12:33 PM CDT	EF1	Christian	1.0	150
June 29	12:35 PM CDT	EF1	Logan	14.2	800
June 29	12:38 PM CDT	EF1	Christian	10.4	200

July 12 13 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries
July 12	5:25 PM CDT	EF0	Boone	2.5	175
July 12	5:36 PM CDT	EF0	Kendall	4.1	100
July 12	6:06 PM CDT	EF1	McHenry	6.4	200
July 12	6:09 PM CDT	EF1	DuPage	9.1	150	1
July 12	6:16 PM CDT	EF1	Kane	10.9	440
July 12	6:18 PM CDT	EF0	Kane	2.6	100
July 12	6:33 PM CDT	EF0	McHenry	3.4	125
July 12	6:41 PM CDT	EF0	Cook	0.5	80
July 12	6:43 PM CDT	EF0	Cook	1.1	80
July 12	6:44 PM CDT	EF0	DuPage	2.9	125
July 12	6:52 PM CDT	EF0	Lake	2.1	125
July 12	6:54 PM CDT	EF0	DuPage	3.4	225
July 12	7:02 PM CDT	EF0	Cook	3.4	300

July 14 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 14	8:58 PM CDT	EF0	DuPage	8.7	400

July 28 11 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)
July 28	10:25 PM CDT	Unrated	LaSalle	1.7	20
July 28	10:32 PM CDT	EF0	Kendall	0.8	20
July 28	10:35 PM CDT	EF0	Kendall	4.9	80
July 28	10:44 PM CDT	EF0	Kendall	1.0	20
July 28	10:52 PM CDT	EF1	Kendall	7.6	225
July 28	10:53 PM CDT	EF0	Grundy	5.1	250
July 28	10:59 PM CDT	EF0	Will	5.1	60
July 28	11:07 PM CDT	EF0	Will	7.1	60
July 28	11:19 PM CDT	EF0	Kankakee	6.1	350
July 28	11:22 PM CDT	Unrated	Will	1.5	15
July 28	11:30 PM CDT	EF1	Kankakee	5.5	90

August 5 3 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)
August 5	2:24 AM CDT	EF1	Adams	2.9	200
August 5	5:15 PM CDT	EF0	Jackson	0.5	25
August 5	5:30 PM CDT	Unrated	Jasper	0.1	20

August 6 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 6	5:40 PM CDT	Unrated	Hancock	8.0	20
August 6	6:09 PM CDT	EF2	Sangamon	25.3	450

August 13 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 13	5:35 PM CDT	EF0	Monroe	0.4	10

August 14 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 14	4:22 PM CDT	Unrated	Lee	0.3	10

August 26 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 26	2:30 PM CDT	EF0	Fulton	0.4	20
August 26	2:40 PM CDT	Unrated	Fulton	0.5	20

October 13 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
October 13	6:08 PM CDT	EF1	Brown	0.4	25		1

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)	Injuries	Damage
January 12	2:03 AM CST	EF1	Ballard, KY to IL	6.5	200		$65,000
March 31	6:16 PM CDT	EF1	Jackson, IA to IL	1.9	100	3
July 28	9:16 PM CDT	EF0	Whiteside, IA to IL	1.0	20

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.