Tornadoes · United States · Illinois

Tornadoes in Kendall County, Illinois

32 tornadoes have crossed Kendall County since 1950, 49th of the 102 counties in Illinois with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.4 years. They have killed 30 people and injured 361. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and above, 1 at the top of the scale.

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
32
Deaths
30
Injuries
361
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F5, August 28, 1990

The deadliest in Kendall County

  1. F5, Kendall and Will counties, IllinoisAugust 28, 199029 killed, 350 injured
  2. F3, Kendall and Will counties, IllinoisApril 27, 19841 killed, 5 injured

The strongest

  1. F5, Kendall and Will counties, IllinoisAugust 28, 1990F5, 16.4 mi (26 km)
  2. F3, Kendall and DuPage counties, IllinoisMarch 12, 1976F3, 22.6 mi (36 km)
  3. F3, Kendall and Will counties, IllinoisApril 27, 1984F3, 9.0 mi (14 km)
  4. F2, Lee, DeKalb, Kendall and Will counties, IllinoisAugust 15, 1958F2, 74.5 mi (120 km)
  5. F2, Kendall County, IllinoisMay 27, 1954F2, 7.9 mi (13 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 17 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Kendall County. Each year links to every tornado in Illinois that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF0
202432EF1
20238EF1
20221EF0
202031EF1
20191EF0
20141EF1
20034F0
1990129350F5
19891F0
1984115F3
19772F0
197613F3
19721F1
19591F1
19581F2
19541F2

Every tornado that crossed Kendall County

32 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 14, 202511:39 PM CDTEF0Kendall3.6125
July 15, 20249:10 PM CDTEF0Kendall17.0300
July 15, 20249:06 PM CDTEF1Kendall19.52502
July 15, 20248:55 PM CDTEF1Kendall19.2200
July 28, 202310:52 PM CDTEF1Kendall7.6225
July 28, 202310:44 PM CDTEF0Kendall1.020
July 28, 202310:35 PM CDTEF0Kendall4.980
July 28, 202310:32 PM CDTEF0Kendall0.820
July 12, 20235:36 PM CDTEF0Kendall4.1100
March 31, 20238:03 PM CDTEF0Kendall4.7250
March 31, 20237:55 PM CDTEF0Kendall5.6200
February 27, 20239:41 AM CSTEF0Kendall2.2100
November 5, 202211:06 AM CDTEF0Kendall3.7100
August 10, 20203:15 PM CDTEF1Kendall14.4250
May 23, 20202:53 PM CDTEF0Kendall6.31001
May 17, 20203:15 PM CDTUnratedKendall0.725
May 27, 20191:47 PM CDTEF0Kendall1.030
June 30, 20149:38 PM CDTEF1Kendall1.150$50,000
July 27, 20031:26 PM CDTF0Kendall1.0100
May 30, 20037:42 PM CDTF0Kendall3.5100
May 30, 20037:35 PM CDTF0Kendall2.5100
May 28, 20033:39 PM CDTF0Kendall1.050
August 28, 19903:30 PM CDTF5Kendall16.460029350$50,000 to $500,000
June 5, 19891:05 PM CDTF0Kendall0.110
April 27, 19845:39 PM CSTF3Kendall9.020015$500,000 to $5 million
June 30, 197710:10 AM CDTF0Kendall1.7350
June 30, 19779:45 AM CDTF0Kendall3.0177
March 12, 197612:50 PM CSTF3Kendall22.6303$500,000 to $5 million
April 6, 19728:30 PM CSTF1Kendall10.750$5,000 to $50,000
September 26, 19598:30 PM GMT-5F1Kendall3.010$5,000 to $50,000
August 15, 19583:00 AM GMT-5F2Lee74.5100$50,000 to $500,000
May 27, 19547:30 PM GMT-5F2Kendall7.9200$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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