Tornadoes · United States · Illinois

Tornadoes in Lee County, Illinois

40 tornadoes have crossed Lee County since 1950, 34th of the 102 counties in Illinois with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 28. 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
40
Deaths
3
Injuries
28
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
EF4, April 9, 2015

The deadliest in Lee County

  1. EF4, Lee, Ogle, DeKalb and Boone counties, IllinoisApril 9, 20152 killed, 11 injured
  2. F2, Ogle and Lee counties, IllinoisApril 6, 19721 killed, 9 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4, Lee, Ogle, DeKalb and Boone counties, IllinoisApril 9, 2015EF4, 30.1 mi (48 km)
  2. F2, Lee, DeKalb, Kendall and Will counties, IllinoisAugust 15, 1958F2, 74.5 mi (120 km)
  3. F2, Ogle and Lee counties, IllinoisApril 6, 1972F2, 17.5 mi (28 km)
  4. EF2, Lee County, IllinoisMarch 31, 2023EF2, 9.3 mi (15 km)
  5. EF2, Lee County, IllinoisJune 22, 2015EF2, 7.8 mi (13 km)
  6. F2, Whiteside and Lee counties, IllinoisMay 7, 1962F2, 7.2 mi (12 km)
  7. F2, Whiteside and Lee counties, IllinoisMay 7, 1962F2, 7.2 mi (12 km)
  8. F2, Lee County, IllinoisApril 21, 1967F2, 5.6 mi (9 km)
  9. F2, Lee County, IllinoisJuly 8, 1993F2, 0.3 mi (0 km)
  10. F2, Lee County, IllinoisAugust 30, 1956F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20241EF0
20234EF2
20211Unrated
20201Unrated
20191EF0
20162EF1
20154218EF4
20131EF0
20101EF1
20041F0
20031F0
19981F0
19952F0
19931F2
19911F1
19882F0
198611F1
19851F1
19753F1
19741F0
1972219F2
19672F2
19622F2
19591F1
19581F2
19561F2

Every tornado that crossed Lee County

40 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
February 27, 20246:15 PM CSTEF0Lee0.110
August 14, 20234:22 PM CDTUnratedLee0.310
March 31, 20237:13 PM CDTEF1Lee7.875
March 31, 20237:08 PM CDTEF2Lee9.3350
March 31, 20236:48 PM CDTEF1Whiteside13.9150
August 9, 20216:03 PM CDTUnratedLee1.375
July 4, 20207:02 PM CDTUnratedLee0.125
May 27, 20194:27 PM CDTEF0Lee0.730
June 22, 20167:31 PM CDTEF0Lee0.150
June 22, 20167:19 PM CDTEF1Lee4.1300
June 22, 20157:53 PM CDTEF2Lee7.88807$1.0 million
June 22, 20157:28 PM CDTEF1Lee7.450
June 22, 20157:16 PM CDTEF0Whiteside2.650
April 9, 20156:39 PM CDTEF4Lee30.1700211$19 million
June 24, 20134:32 PM CDTEF0Lee2.8100$10,000
October 26, 20105:41 AM CDTEF1Lee1.150$100,000
May 10, 20045:05 PM CDTF0Lee0.210
May 30, 20036:36 PM CDTF0Lee4.0100
June 18, 19986:55 PM CDTF0Lee0.530
July 27, 19957:20 PM CDTF0Lee0.220
May 9, 19956:25 PM CDTF0Lee0.550
July 8, 199312:59 PM CDTF2Lee0.330$50,000 to $500,000
April 29, 19917:20 PM CDTF1LaSalle10.0100$5,000 to $50,000
May 8, 19885:20 PM CDTF0Lee0.113$5,000 to $50,000
April 2, 19884:50 PM CSTF0Lee0.220
May 15, 19863:30 PM CDTF1Lee1.0101$5,000 to $50,000
May 14, 19857:45 PM CDTF1Lee0.117$500 to $5,000
June 20, 19752:15 PM CDTF0Lee0.110$50 to $500
June 20, 19751:30 PM CDTF1Lee0.117$500 to $5,000
June 20, 19751:06 PM CDTF0Lee0.110$50 to $500
June 20, 19746:45 PM CDTF0Lee0.110
May 14, 197212:45 PM CDTF0Lee0.110
April 6, 19726:45 PM CSTF2Ogle17.55019$50,000 to $500,000
April 21, 19674:15 PM GMT-6F1Lee5.6100$50,000 to $500,000
April 21, 19674:02 PM GMT-6F2Lee5.677$5,000 to $50,000
May 7, 19629:30 PM GMT-5F2Whiteside7.210
May 7, 19629:30 PM GMT-5F2Whiteside7.210
September 26, 19595:30 PM GMT-5F1Lee0.110$5,000 to $50,000
August 15, 19583:00 AM GMT-5F2Lee74.5100$50,000 to $500,000
August 30, 195612:00 AM GMT-5F2Lee0.117$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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