Tornadoes · United States · Illinois

Tornadoes in Coles County, Illinois

39 tornadoes have crossed Coles County since 1950, 36th of the 102 counties in Illinois with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 34. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    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.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    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.

  7. 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.

Now

Tornadoes
39
Deaths
0
Injuries
34
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, August 10, 1974

The strongest

  1. F3, Coles County, IllinoisJuly 11, 1958F3, 4.7 mi (8 km)
  2. F3, Coles County, IllinoisAugust 10, 1974F3, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  3. F2, Coles and Douglas counties, IllinoisMay 6, 1960F2, 20.9 mi (34 km)
  4. EF2, Shelby, Moultrie and Coles counties, IllinoisDecember 10, 2021EF2, 15.9 mi (26 km)
  5. EF2, Cumberland and Coles counties, IllinoisMarch 14, 2025EF2, 12.9 mi (21 km)
  6. F2, Coles County, IllinoisMarch 28, 1998F2, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  7. F2, Coles County, IllinoisAugust 10, 1974F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  8. F2, Coles County, IllinoisMarch 29, 1974F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 21 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Coles County. Each year links to every tornado in Illinois that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202552EF2
20213EF2
20131EF0
20081EF1
20063F1
200311F1
19991F0
199823F2
19971F0
19962F0
19941F1
19921F0
19891F1
19881F1
19861F1
19821F1
197491F3
19721F1
1971124F1
19601F2
195813F3

Every tornado that crossed Coles County

39 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 20, 20252:15 PM CDTEF0Douglas2.920
April 30, 20259:03 PM CDTUnratedColes0.530
March 19, 20254:52 PM CDTEF1Coles0.750
March 14, 202512:10 AM CDTEF1Coles0.675
March 14, 202512:03 AM CDTEF2Cumberland12.93002
December 10, 202110:18 PM CSTEF1Coles6.3100
December 10, 20219:50 PM CSTEF2Shelby15.9200
April 28, 20217:36 PM CDTUnratedColes0.125
June 29, 20132:05 PM CDTEF0Coles0.120$4,000
June 6, 20084:20 PM CDTEF1Coles5.0200$275,000
May 24, 20065:35 PM CDTF0Coles0.250
April 16, 20065:25 PM CDTF0Coles1.050
April 16, 20065:15 PM CDTF1Coles5.0150
September 26, 20036:50 PM CDTF1Coles1.52501$10 million
April 8, 199911:32 PM CDTF0Cumberland0.30$100,000
May 19, 19988:45 PM CDTF0Coles0.530
March 28, 19985:25 AM CSTF2Coles1.52203$3.0 million
May 25, 199712:55 PM CDTF0Coles0.110
April 19, 19964:35 PM CDTF0Coles0.1100
April 19, 19964:20 PM CDTF0Coles0.1100
April 26, 19949:31 PM CDTF1Coles3.0130$500,000 to $5 million
July 30, 199212:50 PM CDTF0Coles0.1100$500 to $5,000
May 25, 19893:00 AM CDTF1Coles0.830$50,000 to $500,000
November 15, 198810:45 PM CSTF1Coles0.150$50,000 to $500,000
May 15, 19867:45 PM CDTF1Coles8.010$50,000 to $500,000
April 3, 198212:05 AM CSTF1Coles14.0450$50,000 to $500,000
August 13, 19744:03 PM CDTF0Coles0.110
August 13, 19743:10 PM CDTF0Coles0.110
August 10, 19745:30 PM CDTF3Coles0.110$500 to $5,000
August 10, 19744:40 PM CDTF2Coles0.110$500 to $5,000
August 10, 19744:35 PM CDTF0Coles0.110
August 10, 19744:30 PM CDTF0Coles0.110
June 22, 19744:30 PM CDTF0Coles0.110
April 3, 19744:30 PM CDTF1Coles14.890$5,000 to $50,000
March 29, 19744:30 PM CDTF2Coles0.1101$50,000 to $500,000
June 9, 19725:30 PM CDTF1Coles0.130$5,000 to $50,000
December 15, 19715:05 AM CSTF1Coles11.435024$50,000 to $500,000
May 6, 19605:30 PM GMT-5F2Coles20.9130$5,000 to $50,000
July 11, 19588:55 PM GMT-5F3Coles4.7303$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Coles CountyThe forecast for Coles CountyThe live radar over Coles CountyEvery county in 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.