Tornadoes · United States · Illinois

Tornadoes in DuPage County, Illinois

51 tornadoes have crossed DuPage County since 1950, 5 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 22nd of the 102 counties in Illinois with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.5 years. They have killed 4 people and injured 120. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and 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
51
Deaths
4
Injuries
120
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, June 13, 1976

The deadliest in DuPage County

  1. F2, DuPage and Cook counties, IllinoisMarch 12, 19762 killed, 66 injured
  2. F4, DuPage and Cook counties, IllinoisJune 13, 19762 killed, 23 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, DuPage and Cook counties, IllinoisJune 13, 1976F4, 3.3 mi (5 km)
  2. F3, Kendall and DuPage counties, IllinoisMarch 12, 1976F3, 22.6 mi (36 km)
  3. EF3 Naperville–Woodridge tornado, IllinoisJune 20, 2021EF3, 17.6 mi (28 km)
  4. F2, DuPage and Cook counties, IllinoisMarch 12, 1976F2, 15.1 mi (24 km)
  5. F2, DuPage and Cook counties, IllinoisMay 26, 1965F2, 13.8 mi (22 km)
  6. F2, DuPage and Cook counties, IllinoisSeptember 26, 1959F2, 9.3 mi (15 km)
  7. F2, DuPage County, IllinoisAugust 24, 1971F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  8. F2, DuPage County, IllinoisNovember 12, 1965F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  9. F2, DuPage County, IllinoisApril 19, 1966F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)
  10. F2, DuPage County, IllinoisJuly 17, 1972F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 26 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in DuPage County. Each year links to every tornado in Illinois that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20265EF1
20251EF0
20246EF0
202361EF1
20223EF0
2021211EF3
20202EF1
20152EF0
20111EF1
20082EF1
20071EF1
19971F1
19911F1
19781F0
19763492F4
19751F0
19741F0
19721F2
197112F2
19691F1
19672F1
19661F2
1965311F2
19611F1
19591F2
195513F1

Every tornado that crossed DuPage County

51 tornadoes, newest first. The 5 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
June 11, 20267:52 PM CDTEF1DuPage3.0400
June 11, 20268:04 PM CDTEF0DuPage1.3150
July 27, 202611:55 AM CDTEF0DuPage0.975
July 27, 202611:55 AM CDTEF0DuPage1.075
July 27, 202612:09 PM CDTEF0DuPage2.2100
March 14, 202512:05 AM CDTEF0DuPage0.850
July 15, 20249:34 PM CDTEF0DuPage4.1250
July 15, 20249:29 PM CDTEF0DuPage0.850
July 15, 20249:23 PM CDTEF0DuPage3.1150
June 22, 202411:13 PM CDTEF0DuPage0.950
June 22, 202411:08 PM CDTEF0DuPage1.250
June 22, 202410:58 PM CDTEF0DuPage7.8300
July 14, 20238:58 PM CDTEF0DuPage8.7400
July 12, 20236:54 PM CDTEF0DuPage3.4225
July 12, 20236:44 PM CDTEF0DuPage2.9125
July 12, 20236:09 PM CDTEF1DuPage9.11501
March 31, 20238:17 PM CDTEF1DuPage1.6175
February 27, 20239:52 AM CSTEF0DuPage1.430
July 23, 20225:40 AM CDTEF0DuPage4.5150
June 13, 20226:27 PM CDTEF0DuPage2.225
April 30, 20224:44 PM CDTEF0DuPage1.960
June 20, 202111:02 PM CDTEF3Naperville–Woodridge tornado17.660011
June 20, 202110:54 PM CDTEF0DuPage0.475
August 10, 20203:39 PM CDTEF1DuPage2.1200
August 10, 20203:35 PM CDTEF1DuPage0.4100
August 18, 20158:06 PM CDTEF0DuPage0.275$50,000
August 18, 20157:55 PM CDTEF0DuPage3.275
June 21, 20118:31 PM CDTEF1DuPage2.1200$500,000
August 4, 20087:47 PM CDTEF1DuPage0.850$250,000
August 4, 20087:45 PM CDTEF1DuPage0.640$40,000
August 23, 20073:08 PM CDTEF1DuPage2.7500$15,000
July 18, 19973:30 PM CDTF1DuPage3.0150
April 23, 19911:50 PM CDTF1DuPage0.1100$500 to $5,000
August 2, 19784:30 PM CDTF0DuPage4.1880
June 13, 19765:18 PM CDTF4DuPage3.31,760223$500,000 to $5 million
March 12, 19761:20 PM CSTF2DuPage15.1150266$500,000 to $5 million
March 12, 197612:50 PM CSTF3Kendall22.6303$500,000 to $5 million
June 18, 19751:50 PM CDTF0DuPage0.110$500 to $5,000
June 20, 19747:40 PM CDTF0DuPage0.110
July 17, 19728:10 PM CDTF2DuPage0.110$500,000 to $5 million
August 24, 19718:15 PM CDTF2DuPage1.0832$50,000 to $500,000
July 26, 19694:50 PM GMT-5F1DuPage5.137$5,000 to $50,000
April 21, 19675:10 PM GMT-6F1DuPage0.510$5,000 to $50,000
April 21, 19675:10 PM GMT-6F1DuPage6.820$50,000 to $500,000
April 19, 196610:27 PM GMT-6F2DuPage0.540$50,000 to $500,000
November 12, 19652:48 PM GMT-6F2DuPage1.020$5,000 to $50,000
June 23, 19656:50 PM GMT-5F1DuPage0.110$500 to $5,000
May 26, 19658:45 AM GMT-5F2DuPage13.87011$50,000 to $500,000
September 30, 19612:30 PM GMT-5F1DuPage1.510$5,000 to $50,000
September 26, 19596:45 PM GMT-5F2DuPage9.310$50,000 to $500,000
April 28, 195510:00 PM GMT-5F1Kane10.4103$500,000 to $5 million

Nearby

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