Tornadoes · United States · Illinois

Tornadoes in Macon County, Illinois

79 tornadoes have crossed Macon County since 1950, 6th of the 102 counties in Illinois with a tornado on record, an average of 1.0 a year. They have killed 2 people and injured 134. 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
79
Deaths
2
Injuries
134
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, March 20, 1976

The deadliest in Macon County

  1. F3, Macon County, IllinoisApril 3, 19741 killed, 26 injured
  2. F3, Sangamon and Macon counties, IllinoisApril 22, 19631 killed, 5 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Macon, Piatt, Champaign and Vermilion counties, IllinoisMarch 20, 1976F4, 63.7 mi (102 km)
  2. F3, Sangamon and Macon counties, IllinoisApril 22, 1963F3, 42.9 mi (69 km)
  3. F3, Piatt, Macon and Champaign counties, IllinoisApril 22, 1963F3, 31.8 mi (51 km)
  4. F3, Macon County, IllinoisApril 3, 1974F3, 20.9 mi (34 km)
  5. F3, Macon County, IllinoisApril 19, 1996F3, 14.5 mi (23 km)
  6. F3, Macon and Logan counties, IllinoisJune 27, 1951F3, 9.6 mi (15 km)
  7. EF2, Christian, Macon and Piatt counties, IllinoisDecember 28, 2025EF2, 23.4 mi (38 km)
  8. EF2, Macon and Shelby counties, IllinoisOctober 13, 2014EF2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  9. F2, Macon County, IllinoisMay 12, 1978F2, 7.6 mi (12 km)
  10. F2, Macon County, IllinoisNovember 30, 1975F2, 5.9 mi (9 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 35 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Macon County. Each year links to every tornado in Illinois that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20252EF2
20243EF1
20235EF1
20211Unrated
20201EF0
20192EF0
20183EF1
20171EF0
20151EF0
20143EF2
20131EF1
20112EF1
200711EF0
200683F2
20052F0
20031F0
20011F0
20003F1
19993F0
19981F0
19972F0
1996238F3
19951F0
19931F0
19861F0
19842F1
19801F0
197813F2
1976118F4
19751F2
197415126F3
19633110F3
19601F1
19561F1
1951135F3

Every tornado that crossed Macon County

79 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
December 28, 20252:59 PM CSTEF2Christian23.4250
April 2, 20253:40 PM CDTEF0Logan12.730
April 18, 20247:37 PM CDTEF1Macon7.2500
April 18, 20247:27 PM CDTEF1Macon3.7200
April 18, 20247:23 PM CDTEF1Macon2.1300
May 13, 20232:37 PM CDTUnratedMacon0.510
January 3, 20236:05 PM CSTEF0Macon1.120
January 3, 20236:00 PM CSTEF1Macon0.225
January 3, 20234:35 PM CSTEF1Macon0.975
January 3, 20234:33 PM CSTEF0Macon0.325
June 25, 20216:01 PM CDTUnratedMacon0.150
May 17, 20204:06 PM CDTEF0Macon4.075$10,000
August 21, 20197:59 PM CDTEF0Macon0.110
May 29, 20194:50 PM CDTEF0Macon0.520
December 1, 20186:31 PM CSTEF1Macon1.1320$150,000
December 1, 20186:03 PM CSTEF0Macon0.450$25,000
December 1, 20185:53 PM CSTEF1Macon4.3250$325,000
May 10, 20177:49 PM CDTEF0Macon0.120$8,000
July 11, 20159:25 PM CDTEF0Macon0.150$15,000
October 13, 20144:29 PM CDTEF0Macon2.850
October 13, 20144:12 PM CDTEF1Macon0.250$10,000
October 13, 20143:54 PM CDTEF2Macon10.0200$260,000
May 31, 201310:03 PM CDTEF1Macon2.0100$500,000
May 25, 20117:39 AM CDTEF1Macon1.575$100,000
May 25, 20117:35 AM CDTEF1Macon1.075$165,000
March 1, 200712:47 PM CSTEF0Macon1.0301$37,000
July 26, 20067:00 PM CDTF0Macon0.130
July 12, 20062:32 PM CDTF0Macon0.110
April 16, 20062:35 PM CDTF1Macon1.0100
April 2, 20066:36 PM CDTF1Macon7.51503
April 2, 20066:30 PM CDTF0Macon0.130
April 2, 20066:30 PM CDTF2Macon4.5300
March 12, 20069:16 PM CSTF1Macon8.0600
March 12, 20069:03 PM CSTF1Macon10.0400
April 22, 20053:14 PM CDTF0Macon0.140
April 22, 20053:06 PM CDTF0Macon0.110
June 11, 20036:30 PM CDTF0Macon0.110
October 24, 20011:24 PM CDTF0Macon0.120
May 12, 20005:00 PM CDTF0Macon7.020
April 20, 20009:30 AM CDTF1Macon0.3300
April 20, 20009:30 AM CDTF1Macon2.3150
June 4, 19995:35 PM CDTF0Macon0.120
June 4, 19995:28 PM CDTF0Macon0.120
June 4, 19995:18 PM CDTF0Macon0.120
April 30, 19984:47 PM CDTF0Macon0.130
April 30, 19973:53 PM CDTF0Macon0.150
April 30, 19973:40 PM CDTF0Macon1.050$20,000
April 19, 19967:22 PM CDTF3Macon14.544029$9.0 million
April 18, 19969:05 PM CDTF1Macon2.52209$1.5 million
May 27, 19958:05 PM CDTF0Macon0.110
June 8, 19935:40 PM CDTF0Macon3.023$50,000 to $500,000
May 16, 19865:20 PM CDTF0Macon0.210
November 11, 198411:56 AM CSTF1Macon1.010$5,000 to $50,000
November 1, 19846:21 AM CSTF0Macon8.010$50,000 to $500,000
September 16, 19807:25 PM CDTF0Macon0.110
May 12, 19787:00 PM CDTF2Macon7.67003$50,000 to $500,000
March 20, 19761:15 PM CSTF4Macon63.780018$500,000 to $5 million
November 30, 197512:07 AM CSTF2Macon5.910$500,000 to $5 million
August 10, 19745:40 PM CDTF0Macon0.110
August 10, 19745:00 PM CDTF0Macon0.110
August 10, 19745:00 PM CDTF0Macon0.110$500 to $5,000
August 10, 19744:40 PM CDTF0Macon0.110
August 10, 19744:40 PM CDTF0Macon0.110
August 10, 19744:20 PM CDTF0Macon0.110
August 10, 19744:00 PM CDTF0Macon0.110
August 10, 19744:00 PM CDTF0Macon0.110
August 10, 19743:45 PM CDTF0Macon0.110
August 10, 19743:45 PM CDTF0Macon0.110
August 10, 19743:30 PM CDTF0Macon0.110
August 10, 19743:30 PM CDTF0Macon0.110
August 10, 19742:40 PM CDTF0Macon0.110$50 to $500
June 8, 19747:55 PM CDTF0Macon0.110
April 3, 19742:30 PM CDTF3Macon20.9350126$500,000 to $5 million
June 10, 19635:25 PM GMT-5F1Macon2.030
April 22, 19636:00 PM GMT-6F3Piatt31.82005$50,000 to $500,000
April 22, 19635:30 PM GMT-6F3Sangamon42.91015$50,000 to $500,000
May 6, 196010:40 AM GMT-5F1Macon0.3100$500 to $5,000
April 29, 195612:05 AM GMT-6F1Macon2.310$5,000 to $50,000
June 27, 19518:30 PM GMT-5F3Macon9.630035$500,000 to $5 million

Nearby

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