Tornadoes · United States · Illinois

Tornadoes in Fulton County, Illinois

54 tornadoes have crossed Fulton County since 1950, 4 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 20th of the 102 counties in Illinois with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.4 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 123. 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
54
Deaths
2
Injuries
123
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, May 13, 1995

The deadliest in Fulton County

  1. F3, Fulton County, IllinoisJuly 23, 19752 killed, 69 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Fulton County, IllinoisMay 13, 1995F4, 7.0 mi (11 km)
  2. EF3, Fulton County, IllinoisApril 4, 2023EF3, 19.9 mi (32 km)
  3. F3, Fulton County, IllinoisJuly 23, 1975F3, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  4. F3, Fulton County, IllinoisJuly 23, 1975F3, 11.1 mi (18 km)
  5. F3, Fulton County, IllinoisJune 13, 1975F3, 6.6 mi (11 km)
  6. F2, Hancock, Schuyler and Fulton counties, IllinoisMarch 8, 1990F2, 42.0 mi (68 km)
  7. EF2, Fulton County, IllinoisApril 17, 2026EF2, 18.1 mi (29 km)
  8. EF2, McDonough and Fulton counties, IllinoisApril 17, 2026EF2, 12.8 mi (21 km)
  9. F2, Mason and Fulton counties, IllinoisApril 7, 1998F2, 11.0 mi (18 km)
  10. F2, Fulton County, IllinoisJune 19, 1990F2, 0.3 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 25 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Fulton County. Each year links to every tornado in Illinois that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20264EF2
20241EF1
202364EF3
20201EF1
20192EF0
20183EF1
20161EF1
20033F1
20021F0
19991F1
19987F2
199712F1
1995345F4
19921F0
19903F2
19812F1
197611F2
19755269F3
19741F0
19732F1
19721F1
197112F1
19671F1
19661F1
19601F1

Every tornado that crossed Fulton County

54 tornadoes, newest first. The 4 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
April 17, 20267:29 PM CDTEF2McDonough12.8200$90
April 17, 20267:40 PM CDTEF2Fulton18.1500$500
June 11, 20265:17 PM CDTEF0Fulton2.430
June 11, 20265:31 PM CDTUnratedFulton0.220
March 14, 20244:36 AM CDTEF1Warren1.1150
August 26, 20232:40 PM CDTUnratedFulton0.520
August 26, 20232:30 PM CDTEF0Fulton0.420
April 4, 20237:29 PM CDTUnratedFulton0.220
April 4, 20237:11 PM CDTEF3Fulton19.96004
April 4, 20237:09 PM CDTUnratedFulton0.820
April 4, 20237:02 PM CDTEF1Fulton1.9200
March 28, 20208:01 PM CDTEF1Fulton2.1100$100,000
September 27, 20198:22 PM CDTEF0Fulton1.9100$85,000
May 24, 20191:10 PM CDTEF0Fulton1.220$10,000
December 1, 20184:45 PM CSTEF0Fulton5.525$20,000
December 1, 20183:51 PM CSTEF1Schuyler15.6450$610,000
August 16, 20184:38 PM CDTEF0Fulton3.1100$30,000
March 15, 20166:42 PM CDTEF1Warren8.3400$215,000
May 30, 20037:36 PM CDTF0Fulton0.110
May 10, 20038:47 PM CDTF1Fulton2.7100
May 10, 20038:32 PM CDTF1Fulton3.0400
June 12, 200212:20 AM CDTF0Fulton1.812
June 1, 19996:15 PM CDTF1Mason3.80$500,000
June 29, 19984:22 PM CDTF1Fulton1.5100$670,000
June 29, 19984:09 PM CDTF1Fulton5.0400$10,000
June 14, 19986:45 PM CDTF0Fulton0.130
May 15, 19988:05 PM CDTF0Fulton0.8150$4,000
May 12, 19986:37 PM CDTF0Fulton0.130
April 7, 19986:04 PM CDTF2Mason11.030
April 7, 19985:35 PM CDTF0Fulton0.130
April 30, 19972:55 PM CDTF1Fulton7.01002$450,000
May 13, 19955:55 PM CDTF4Fulton7.088045$5 million to $50 million
May 9, 19955:48 PM CDTF0Fulton3.0220
May 9, 19955:35 PM CDTF0Fulton0.110
April 15, 19925:30 PM CDTF0Fulton1.050$50,000 to $500,000
November 27, 19901:45 PM CSTF1Fulton5.0100$50,000 to $500,000
June 19, 199011:45 PM CDTF2Fulton0.3100$50,000 to $500,000
March 8, 19903:15 PM CSTF2Hancock42.010$50,000 to $500,000
July 25, 19819:50 PM CDTF0Fulton0.110$500 to $5,000
April 13, 19814:35 PM CSTF1Fulton46.1100$500,000 to $5 million
August 11, 197611:36 PM CDTF2Fulton0.1101$50,000 to $500,000
July 23, 19755:45 PM CDTF3Fulton14.02,630269$5 million to $50 million
July 23, 19755:30 PM CDTF3Fulton11.12,630$50,000 to $500,000
June 24, 19758:49 PM CDTF1Fulton2.010$500 to $5,000
June 13, 197510:28 PM CDTF3Fulton6.61,300$500,000 to $5 million
May 26, 19751:05 AM CDTF0Fulton0.110
June 20, 19749:40 PM CDTF0Fulton0.110
October 1, 19734:23 PM CDTF1Fulton0.110
June 18, 19731:00 PM CDTF0Fulton0.110
July 17, 19727:30 PM CDTF1Warren27.210$5,000 to $50,000
February 19, 19712:15 PM CSTF1Fulton12.01002$50,000 to $500,000
March 31, 19674:30 PM GMT-6F1Fulton5.2100$5,000 to $50,000
May 23, 19667:00 PM GMT-5F1Fulton2.0100$50,000 to $500,000
May 16, 19605:45 PM GMT-5F1McDonough0.110$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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