Tornadoes · United States · Illinois

Tornadoes in Douglas County, Illinois

33 tornadoes have crossed Douglas County since 1950, 3 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 50th of the 102 counties in Illinois with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.3 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 81. 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
33
Deaths
0
Injuries
81
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, November 17, 2013

The strongest

  1. F3, Douglas, Edgar and Vermillion counties, Illinois and IndianaApril 22, 1963F3, 38.6 mi (62 km)
  2. EF3, Douglas and Champaign counties, IllinoisNovember 17, 2013EF3, 18.7 mi (30 km)
  3. F2, Douglas, Champaign and Vermilion counties, IllinoisMarch 6, 1961F2, 30.6 mi (49 km)
  4. F2, Coles and Douglas counties, IllinoisMay 6, 1960F2, 20.9 mi (34 km)
  5. F2, Moultrie and Douglas counties, IllinoisApril 7, 1998F2, 11.0 mi (18 km)
  6. F2, Douglas and Champaign counties, IllinoisJune 20, 1990F2, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  7. F2, Douglas County, IllinoisJune 6, 1974F2, 3.3 mi (5 km)
  8. F2, Douglas County, IllinoisJune 1, 1980F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 19 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Douglas County. Each year links to every tornado in Illinois that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20263EF1
20251EF0
20133EF3
20065F0
20041F1
199848F2
19941F0
19931F0
19903F2
19871F1
198017F2
19742F2
1971124F1
1963140F3
19621F1
196112F2
19601F2
19571F0
19561F1

Every tornado that crossed Douglas County

33 tornadoes, newest first. The 3 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 15, 20266:54 PM CDTEF0Douglas2.280$70
March 15, 20267:03 PM CDTEF1Douglas2.370$25
March 15, 20267:06 PM CDTEF1Douglas11.470
May 20, 20252:15 PM CDTEF0Douglas2.920
November 17, 201312:46 PM CSTEF1Douglas4.5440$220,000
November 17, 201312:44 PM CSTEF3Douglas18.7440$2.0 million
November 17, 201312:30 PM CSTEF1Moultrie10.5440$1.7 million
May 31, 20062:41 PM CDTF0Douglas0.130
May 31, 20062:39 PM CDTF0Douglas1.050
May 31, 20062:39 PM CDTF0Douglas0.650
May 31, 20062:39 PM CDTF0Douglas0.650
May 31, 20062:34 PM CDTF0Douglas0.650
April 20, 20042:00 PM CDTF1Douglas3.950$70,000
April 7, 19988:04 PM CDTF0Douglas0.130
April 7, 19987:58 PM CDTF0Douglas0.330
April 7, 19987:42 PM CDTF0Douglas0.230
April 7, 19987:08 PM CDTF2Moultrie11.01008$100,000
April 26, 19949:30 PM CDTF0Douglas1.0100
August 16, 199310:04 PM CDTF0Douglas0.110
June 20, 19901:55 AM CDTF2Douglas8.0100$500,000 to $5 million
June 2, 19904:47 PM CDTF0Douglas0.550
May 15, 19908:43 PM CDTF0Douglas0.130
June 2, 19872:50 PM CDTF1Douglas0.750$50,000 to $500,000
June 1, 19808:00 AM CDTF2Douglas1.0107$500,000 to $5 million
August 10, 19748:00 PM CDTF1Douglas11.530$500 to $5,000
June 6, 19746:25 PM CDTF2Douglas3.310$500 to $5,000
December 15, 19715:05 AM CSTF1Coles11.435024$50,000 to $500,000
April 22, 19636:30 PM GMT-6F3Douglas to IN38.61,60040$5,000 to $50,000
March 11, 19626:15 PM GMT-6F1Douglas0.110$50 to $500
March 6, 19614:15 AM GMT-6F2Douglas30.6102$50,000 to $500,000
May 6, 19605:30 PM GMT-5F2Coles20.9130$5,000 to $50,000
June 12, 19579:00 PM GMT-5F0Douglas1.010$50 to $500
April 3, 19565:00 PM GMT-6F1Moultrie4.5100$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Douglas CountyThe forecast for Douglas CountyThe live radar over Douglas 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.